All are welcome in John's Kitchen
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To mark Volunteer Week, reporter RACHEL YOUNG spent an afternoon at John's Kitchen helping prepare and serve meals to the community. She skipped the cleanup.
Henry and Sharon Akurangi, who had been sleeping in their car, stumbled on a free bread sign,unaware it would lead them to become volunteers in the future at John's Kitchen.
After the sickness beneficiary couple sorted out their personal circumstances they returned to John's Kitchen as volunteers, wanting to give back to the community.
John's Kitchen convener Yvonne Dasler says the kitchen provides a free two-course meal every Wednesday to anyone. While the meal is free, they accept donations, no matter how small.
Ms Dasler says there is a growing need for the service in Marlborough, with nearly 100 people showing up for a meal some days.
A team of volunteers meet every Wednesday afternoon to start the preparations, and the one thing they don't want to be short on is food.
Ms Dasler says there are no rosters or obligations so everyone who turns up really wants to be there.
Some volunteers, like the Akurangis, , turn up every time, while others turn up when they can.
This means they never know until the day how many people will be there to help, so everyone just does whatever job they can.
However, some of the regulars always do the same job. For example, Henry Akurangi is the master potato masher and when he is unable to come, people notice.
Sharon Akurangi says she has been volunteering for a few months now and loves it. She loves seeing people enjoy the food she has prepared or sometimes even planned as well.
Volunteering to her and Henry is a great way to give back to the community, she says.
For an intellectually disabled man who turns up every week, volunteering provides work experience. His dream is to work in a restaurant.
As a rule it's first name only and volunteers all eat the food they prepare. Ms Dasler says this is to help make sure everyone is on the same level.
After last night's meal of curried sausages with vegetables, mashed potato, roast pumpkin and plum meringue with icecream is prepared, the volunteers enjoy a cup of tea before the final cooking and serving begins at 5.30pm.
More volunteers often pour in to the kitchen at this point after work. There's the woman doing community service, the lawyer, the rest home nurse, the student and others, all with their own motivation for volunteering.
As 5.30pm approaches, people from all walks of life turn up elderly people, young families, vineyard workers and travellers.
Ms Dasler says it's great to see families come along. She says some come to save money on dinner so their money can instead be used to help with school expenses.
Nurse and volunteer Julia Dekker says after more than three years working with John's Kitchen she can't imagine not coming along every Wednesday night. She says she stays because she sees the need for it in the community.
John's Kitchen is run by the Crossroads Marlborough Charitable Trust. It relies on volunteer support, donations and grants from trusts, businesses and individuals.
- The Marlborough Express
