Lex Eat Together News
Lex Eat Together dinners are served every Wednesday at 5:15 pm at Church of Our Redeemer, 6 Meriam St. Lexington
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Tonight was extra special: our regular Chinese guests wanted to thank the staff and volunteers of LET for our efforts. One guest played “You Are My Sunshine” on his accordion and everyone sang along. Each volunteer was then presented with little gifts. It was a very nice, thoughtful gesture. 
There were few leftovers at the end of the night, which were scraped into a covered bin for delivery to the pigs at Chip-In Farm.
New cloth hats came in and were worn for the first time tonight by kitchen staff. They will be washed each week with the aprons.
One of our upcoming projects in the works for next year is a cross-generational, cross-cultural cooking collaboration between some of our senior guests and seniors from LHS who are learning Mandarin. Stay tuned – more details to follow! If you haven't done so yet, please use the SignUp Genius link to volunteer for early next year.
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This is the time of year when many are giving thanks – thanks for families, homes, comfort and having enough to eat. We appreciate the many blessings that life has bestowed upon us.
For many in our midst, those blessings are emptier and elusive and becoming more so every day. And while we may want to imagine that there aren’t people in need here in Lexington, the truth is that hunger and social isolation are daily realities for many in and around Lexington. This year, a group of concerned Lexingtonians set out to help address the needs of those at the margins of life in our town, by establishing a free, weekly dinner open to anyone who might benefit from a nutritious meal and companionship. Thank you for being a part of this new, not-for-profit organization, Lex Eat Together! In October, as we began offering a weekly meal every Wednesday evening at the Church of Our Redeemer in the heart of Lexington, it became clear just how much this dinner is needed. In our first 6 weeks, we served over 200 meals to guests, offering a warm welcome and a hot meal to anyone who came to join us. With the help of an amazing group of volunteer cooks, servers, setup and cleanup teams (Thank you!), we’ve provided all who come with food to eat and fellowship to share. During this time of thankfulness, we ask for your help to support Lex Eat Together as we continue our work and serve those in our community who benefit. We are excited about the year to come, and hope you’ll please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lex Eat Together. To make a gift online, using this link. If you’d prefer, you may send a check to Lex Eat Together, 34 Wachusett Drive, Lexington, MA 02421. Every contribution matters! With thanks and gratitude, George Murnaghan President Dear Lex Eat Together Volunteers and Friends,
It’s hard to believe, but we’ve already had five successful meals since our “soft opening” on October 14! We’ve served 160 meals to guests so far, reaching individuals, families with children, young, old, you name it. In other words, it’s a diverse group representing our community. Some have been our guests only once, others have come on a regular basis, and most important of all, all are welcome. Not only are all welcome, but all have been caringly welcomed to our dinners and helped to feel at home by our amazing volunteers. It’s not just the warmth and helpfulness of serving teams and greeters, who are our “front line” in contact with our guests; it’s also the care our setup teams put into turning the hall into a comfortable communal dining room, it’s the delicious, beautifully presented meals our cooking team and our Minuteman Career and Technical School partners have so carefully prepared, and it’s our cleanup volunteers who quietly and efficiently return the hall and kitchen to its prior state (or even a bit better!) All have contributed to the experience for our guests being more than just a plate of food-together, we have made this a special experience for all who walk through our doors. Thank you! Special thanks go to Wilma Ronco and Susan Orenstein who have taken on “team captain” roles leading our Setup and Serving teams, respectively, helping to orient new and returning volunteers and generally making things go smoothly for all involved! We know we are just getting started with this effort, and we know we will continue to learn and improve as we go forward. It’s been very heartwarming to see our volunteers suggesting new ideas or enthusiastically embracing new ways to enhance the experience for everyone. We are so fortunate to have tapped into the wellspring of dedication and collaboration our volunteers bring to Lex Eat Together. While we are just getting started, we shouldn’t lose sight of what we’ve built together in a short time. Getting the Word Out We continue to spread the word on Lex Eat Together, which we know will be an ongoing effort. Not only is this important in reaching potential guests in and around Lexington, it’s also vital as we build awareness around Lexington about the important work we are doing. And it’s critical as we seek to raise the funds to support our effort into the future. Suzanne O’Neil has graciously agreed to serve as our Communications Director to help us reach all of the audiences important to us: potential guests, donors, community leaders and volunteers. Suzanne brings professional experience in communications and fundraising, along with an evident empathy for our guests and the challenges they face, and we are delighted to have her serve in this critical role! Among the tools we have is a Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/LexEatTogether/. If you are a Facebook user, please visit and “like” our page-this will help us raise our visibility. And in case you may have missed it, here is a link to the Lexington Minuteman article written after our first dinner: http://lexington.wickedlocal.com/article/20151101/NEWS/151109640/0/SEARCH Volunteer Opportunities As of today, we have a few openings to volunteer for our December 2 (one server) and December 30 (one clean up volunteer and one server) dates-otherwise, we are fully staffed through the end of the year! Thank you all for making this work so well. We do also have a number of volunteer opportunities for times other than the Wednesday meal times, including:
We’ll open up the signups for January through March in early December, with a “heads-up” announcement a week or so in advance so you can be ready when the Signup Genius is available. Please bear with us if you are finding it difficult to find times that match your availability-we truly need everyone to make this successful over the long haul! Now Accepting Online Donations Just in time to participate in Giving Tuesday, we are pleased to announce that we now have an online donations capability on the Lex Eat Together website: http://www.lexeattogether.org/donate.html through PayPal (You don’t need a PayPal account to make a gift). Donations may also be made by check payable to Lex Eat Together and sent to: Lex Eat Together 34 Wachusett Drive, Lexington, MA 02421. Please enjoy a wonderful holiday season knowing that you have helped bring food, comfort and community to so many people. In gratitude, Harriet Kaufman Laura Derby George Murnaghan John Bernhard |
About UsLex Eat Together in Lexington, Massachusetts consists of volunteers who desire to share community with those in need. Our mission is to provide a weekly meal in a setting which respects privacy and dignity. All are welcome without question. Wednesdays at 5:15
Our Church of the Redeemer 6 Meriam St. Lexington, MA 02421 
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July 2018
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