Photo taken during 10 Lunches Saturday © Abby Thomason
First, I must apologize. In my naivete, I made the inaccurate assumption that no one actually read this blog. I'm still getting used to the idea that people pay attention to this thing called 10 Lunches. I failed to post any information prior to the event we had this past Saturday, not believing that anyone would look here anyway. I was wrong and got a quick lesson in the diligence it takes to lead this little project.
Second, and most importantly, I want to say thank you to everyone who joined us on Saturday to pass out lunches around the city. Thanks to Deanna Lea and friends from Liberty who joined us and brought so many lunches (and pairs of socks which were a big hit!) for all of us to distribute. Thanks to Scott Borden and the crew from Sharon Baptist Church who also brought so many lunches and water and miscellaneous items to distribute. They took a bulk of the lunches and launched their effort from the midst of the NCAA tournament madness surrounding the Sprint Center. Thanks to Gary & Kim Bryan (and daughters) for joining us from Louisburg, KS. The Bryan Family found the 10 Lunches blog/Twitter and showed up knowing no one! It was a privilege to team up with them as we distributed lunches near 9th and Grand Avenue. And thanks to my family, who have been so faithful and supportive and have gone out of their comfort zone to join me in this effort.
Overall, it was a wildly successful day. We passed out over 200 lunches. My group set up shop next to a soup kitchen at 9th and Grand Avenue. In 45 minutes, we distributed more than 80 lunches, numerous pairs of socks, and so many bottles of water and Gatorade. Similar things happened with the other groups in other parts of downtown. I was struck by the gratitude of the folks receiving the lunches. It's amazing to come face to face with the immense need that exists in Kansas City.
I will start looking at dates for another 10 Lunches outing. If you'd like to make a suggestion for a date, let me know. Comment on the blog or email me (joelrthomason@gmail.com; 10lunches@gmail.com). My next emphasis will be recruiting. I would love to see 100 people join us on our next outing! I don't think that is a stretch. Thanks again for participating.
- Joel
