opinion: Thank you to the community from the breakfast program at St. Andrew's

Posted on Thu, Sep 6, 2012 : 8:35 a.m.

Many of you may have noticed as you traveled in the early morning past 306 N. Division the people standing outside the glass doors of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, waiting for the doors to open for breakfast for anyone in need.

On September 9 we celebrate 30 years of being able to provide this service to the community, thanks to the generosity of many volunteers and benefactors. Our particular thanks to Food Gatherers, the Ann Arbor Thrift Shop, the First Methodist Church for providing supplementary snacks for weekends and an alternative venue in time of need, the Crop Walk, the many Ann Arbor schools that have provided volunteers as well as food drives to collect cereal, and particularly our neighbors across the street at Community High who have also provided us with an alternative venue as well as music for our celebrations. And our special thanks for thousands of donations from individuals who have supported this outreach to the community.

And of course, our most special thanks to the regular volunteers who come each morning to serve the food and make it happen all over again. Throughout these 30 years hundreds of these wonderful people have come from all walks of life--from the university community, from the Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities, as well as individuals who have found this path into community service.

And finally, we thank our guests, who have given us all the pleasure of their company, their stories, their faith, their courage and tenacity in the face of homelessness or financial need. We have all benefited from sharing our common humanity.

The Rev. Deacon Svea Gray

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Ann Arbor

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