Five Amazing (and Slightly Wacky) Things Our Volunteers Have Been Up To

On Saturday, we're hosting our annual Volunteer Appreciation BBQ and while we've been collecting RSVPs (get yours in today by emailing Ashley), we've also been getting some interesting stories about what our volunteers have been up to lately.

Some are so interesting that we can't help but share them. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Breakfast volunteer Lisa will be crewing a 44-foot former Navy sailboat that is escorting one of the tall ships for the OPSAIL parade in Norfolk.  The tall ships are making a summer-long journey up the U.S. Atlantic to commemorate the War of 1812.  The boats will all be in Baltimore by June 13 if you want to make a visit!

• New volunteer Kevin Fisher is in charge of making sure that the Empire State Building meets the FCC’s exposure guidelines for radiation. Kevin has been known to tromp around on top of the building 1,200 feet above 5^th Avenue even in sub-zero weather and 50 mph winds.

• Breakfast Sous Chef Jeremy Pearce just completed the Climate Ride, a 5-day, 300-mile bike ride from NYC to DC to support the battle against climate change. Coincidentally, the ride fell on 'Bike to Work Day' and in support of Washingtonians putting their own bike pedals to the metal, Jeremy biked 59 miles wearing a shirt, tie, and suit coat.

• Case Management volunteer Johnny Walker was recently hit by a car while riding his bike through downtown DC. While he's now on the mend, he had to have a metal rod placed in his arm. That hasn't stopped him from volunteering though--he was back to cutting our guests' hair just two weeks after his accident!

• Dinner volunteer and group leader Mark Gibson was featured in the Washington Post's popular 'Date Lab' series. While they likely won't be taking a trip down the aisle, Mark and his date did have a great time. (We're hoping we can find him his next match here at Miriam's Kitchen!)

We're constantly impressed by the work you do--both here at Miriam's Kitchen and through your jobs and hobbies. We're proud to highlight a few of the amazing volunteers who have committed themselves to ending chronic homelessness in DC, but want all of you to know just how much you mean to us.

We hope you'll join us on Saturday from 5-7 pm in our courtyard for a BBQ that celebrates the hard work you do to ensure our guests are cared for. (Don't forget to RSVP!)