Rosie’s Place is a sanctuary for women and children in the city of Boston. Services at Rosie’s Place include shelter, laundry, an arts cooperative, and a full service kitchen that provides lunch and dinner every day of the week.

Trinity Church’s role at Rosie’s Place is to cater meals for the guests at Rosie’s Place on the fourth Wednesday and the fifth Tuesday of every month. We serve between 80 and 130 women and children.

An essential part of planning the menu provided by Trinity Church is making sure that the meal is healthy. As many of you know, when food is available to vulnerable urban citizens it is typically not nutrient dense. When Trinity Church serves at Rosie’s Place, we strive to ensure that we are serving healthy fresh ingredients. On the plate in August you would have found a multigrain bun with a salmon burger, a green salad, and corn from Boston’s Allendale Farm. We do this at a cost of 2 to 3 dollars per person.

That is the simple summery of what happens in the kitchen at Rosie’s Place.

What really makes the service an experience where I receive more than I give comes from the interactions with the guests, volunteers and kitchen staff. In the past when I have led meals, volunteers have asked me questions like, “Why don’t these women seem grateful for what we are doing?” or “How many of these women could probably find a job?” I can’t easily answer those questions without sounding preachy or long-winded. I also do not find fault with the people who have asked these questions. I believe these questions come from a place of sincere curiosity; however I personally am moved to ask different questions.

My questions include: What prevents equal access to a nutritious meal? Who is immune to injustice, and why? How do we end the systems that perpetuate inequality and poverty?

Poverty is difficult to discuss. It becomes even more difficult because I have had the benefit of getting to know some of the women who come to dinner at Rosie’s Place. Serving one or two meals a month in a Boston shelter will not end poverty. What it will do is increase my understanding of the challenges many of our neighbors face every day. Being connected to Rosie’s Place and Trinity Church puts me in a position to make decisions about how I share my talents and treasure, and allows me to understand how others have helped me during my difficult times. Another great joy I gain from serving at Rosie’s Place is simply the satisfaction of preparing a meal for someone who enjoys what I have created.

What we learn from the sermons at the pulpit would not have the same influence and meaning to me if I did not have service in my life. Rosie’s Place and Trinity Church remind me that I can be a part of the difficult discussions and not lose sight of the beauty around us. It is sad and scary that there are women and children who don’t have equal access to basic needs in our city, and still I am inspired by the hope and joy in the dining room at Rosie’s Place.

Jill Pedrick