Reported by Nicole Liu
Greater Princeton AYLUS (GPA) members Nicole Liu, Kevin Liu, Karen Yang, and Han Li served at Cornerstone Community Kitchen in Princeton (PCCK) on February 27th from 4:30 to 6:30pm (2 hours). PCCK is a food kitchen who regularly serves dinner once a week on Wednesdays, and provides a free clothing store, health screenings, and English courses. Their goal is to help people in poverty and try to find solutions to curb poverty in the Greater Princeton area. Everyone at GPA wants to serve community in one way or another, and PCCK project is a perfect one for us to start with!
We helped hand out meals to guests who visited the food kitchen for food. As usual, there were dozens of guests, mostly consisting of elders and local residents in need, on the night. Over the two hours serving period, they quietly came and sat around different tables, which were well addressed with metal silverware and formal dishes in advance.
Usually, I would spend my Wednesday nights finishing up homework and preparing for the next day, but this was a really great and fun experience. It was a real eye-opener, and it made me more appreciative of what I have. I had no idea what I was walking into that day. Seeing everybody, they were all new to me. Being told to make sure I got everything so people could be served properly, was nerve wracking. I didn’t want to mess everything up. But with everyone else there helping me, everything was smooth as can be. Serving people at the kitchen was not only beneficial for the people, but in a way, helpful for me. At the moment I saw people smiling when they were being served their meal, a smile also grew over me as I saw them dig into their food. It was helpful for me to see others who weren’t as privileged as I was. Not only was I helping people, but I was also making new friends. At the soup kitchen, I had plenty of fun talking to new faces, and learning about how long they’ve been volunteering. Sharing jokes and laughs was one of the best memories from that evening.
