So Others May Eat: Serving hot meals to the elderly for 15-plus years

By Robert J. Hawkins

We were mystified.

One minute, Dr. Grace Lim, MD, is delivering her weekly health talk on Wednesday to the nearly 100 guests of So Others May Eat in the Parroquia de San Miguel courtyard. “Many of you only have each other,” she reminds the elderly Sanmiguelenses, all over the age of 65. “You need to watch out for each other.”

A frail, elderly woman reaches up and asks for the microphone and Dr. Grace hands it to her.She turned to face the 20 or so volunteers waiting to serve the hot lunch to all the guests. “You are the reason that I come here every week,” she said. “Gracias. Gracias.”

The people applauded. The volunteers applauded back. Some made heart signs with their hands. The woman passed the microphone to her friend. "I pray for each and every one of you every day," she said softly. "Gracias."

More applause. And more guests asking for the microphone to say similar things. Earlier, some of the volunteers (who have been coming on Wednesdays for as many as 15 years) were reflecting on how much they get from serving hot meals once a week. It is the smiles and shy waves as the guest walk around 12:30pm from Mass next door. The handshakes. The cheerful greetings. And again, the smiles. So many warm smiles.

Every person there feels the joy this brings to us. Don’t they know that THEY are the reason WE show up?

It was quite a mutual appreciation moment that went on for several minutes and I know that I wasn’t the only one getting a bit choked up.

You see these same faces week after week and soon you begin to recognize and greet each other on the street.

Nourishment isn’t just about food. Feeling like you belong – somewhere, with someone, to something – that enriches the spirit as much as a warm plate of chicken and mole fills the stomach. Speaking of which, we had 100 hot lunches, fruit, salads, beverages and desserts to serve as quickly as possible. As soon of the ladies recited the traditional prayers of thanks and gratitude.

Many of the guests will only eat some of the lunch, then pack the rest away in containers. It is their only warm meal of the week and they know how to stretch it into two and three more. Any leftovers are packaged and distributed to the guests as they leave.

Everything goes to someone.

Every Wednesday, I walk away from the Parroquia courtyard feeling like I am floating just above the cobblestones. Who knew that doing so little for so many could make you feel so good?

And yet, there is so much more to S.O.M.E than serving up smiles and a hot meal. So much work that goes into paying for all that, purchasing supplies every week, cooking the food, setting up, breaking down, live music,  and so, so much more.I’ve seen the budget. It clocks out at $120 pesos per person per meal. S.O.M.E has some unique funding but it isn’t what it was pre-COVID. Other donations are scarcer, too. They could use our help. Imagine, just $500 pesos could provide a full stomach and a smile for an elderly Sanmiguelense for one month.

Just go to www.soothersmayeat.org to see how you can help. Please.

Robert J. Hawkins was a journalist in San Diego, CA and a volunteer at SOME.