Grateful for our Gardens, Bowls & Summer Staff Blessings

Niki and Rachel came to us this summer as community development workers, writers and social media experts. This was made possible by the Canada Summer Jobs program. They both showed initiative, worked well in a team and on their own and adapted to the way things are run at the church. They took over Bowls & Blessings food ministry coordination, food preparation, set up, and serving. Their interactions with the members of the community were done in a friendly, approachable, calm, caring manner. We thank them for sharing their gifts with us and wish them all the best. They are always welcome!

Rachel writes about her work:

As my time at Martin Luther comes to an end, I want to summarize the wonderful experiences I have had working here this summer. I feel I took part in meaningful work here and I enjoyed getting to know the Martin Luther community in the process!

First, I became involved with the pollinator and community garden that was already established at 5 Superior. I helped volunteers Iris and Sara with some additional weeding of the pollinator garden. It was a grueling undertaking but seeing the difference it made was incredibly satisfying. We dug up buckets worth of weeds from the earth to make more space for the native pollinator plants to thrive.

I was also enlisted to make educational signs for the community garden. I made signs labelling the plants with instructions for harvesting and recipes. I focused on making the signs as legible and educational as possible. I wanted to offer as much help as we could to curious community members with no prior gardening experience. I appreciated the church’s dedication to making the garden accessible to all community members, and I hope the signs will help!

I also hosted Bowls and Blessing twice weekly with the other summer student Niki. Our focus over the summer was feeding the community and handing out whatever blessings we had to offer. This included an entire cardboard box of aloe vera plants that were donated at one point! Over the summer of Bowls and Blessings, I grew to recognize and appreciate many of our regular attendees. With some of the regulars, I could pack up their usual preferences from the table as soon as I saw them coming down the street. Some of them would sit on the church bench for the whole hour, chatting comfortably with us and each other.

We were able to make iced tea for many of the heat-ridden days in the middle of July. I loved that every thirsty individual was welcome to drink as much as they wanted. We were even able to offer iced tea to the construction workers who were stationed on the Lake Shore track work. I understand that this undertaking was especially important to keep everyone healthy in the heat. In terms of food, we wanted to offer hearty and nutritious meals as many days as we could. On days we didn’t receive pre-made meals, I discovered some new ways to make soup and salads from our donated supply. Surprisingly, many of these meals were big hits! But overall, the generosity of donations we received for Bowls and Blessing this summer truly amazed me.

Next, I was involved in the church’s efforts to expand its food ministry and connect with the South Etobicoke Food Network. We took our first field trip to connect with LAMP and participate in a wellness exercise. There, we joined community members in deep breathing and stretching to promote our mental health. On our second visit to LAMP, we received a tour of the whole building and the community resources they offer. I found the entire interaction with them interesting because I benefitted from LAMP while growing up in the area and I loved seeing all the other important work they do. They gave us a generous gift of sanitary products at the end of our tour that stocked our community pantry for the next few weeks.

My daily responsibilities included filling the pantry with food from the storage room. Community donations kept us well stocked with tomato cans, pasta, pancakes, crackers, and rice. I fell into a routine of filling the pantry up with smaller amounts throughout the day, to disperse the goods into the community more evenly.
I also wrote a letter to several potential food contributors that the church was interested in working with. I loved this assignment because it aligned with my interest in professional correspondence and networking. I hope that the letter is well received and the church continues to grow beyond what I have seen this summer!

I want to offer a special mention to the Dinner Church I attended with guest speakers from Bees for Peace and Friends of Humber Bay Park. At Dinner Church, I learned a lot about how both organizations work to preserve Mimico’s biodiversity and nature. I loved the concept of a church event centered around sharing a meal and was glad that I got to experience it with the Martin Luther community. I wrote up a large summary of this event because I was so personally moved by my experiences.

Many thanks to the amazing team at Martin Luther for welcoming me like family and making this work infinitely more enjoyable. I celebrated my birthday with the team in August and was touched by the whole team’s kindheartedness and generosity toward me. Niki deserves a special mention for all the work we did together on Bowls and Blessings and all the fun we shared while working. Marlena was an amazing help with any questions I happened to have and the kindest soul I have ever met. Emma and I clicked immediately and she always brightened up the office with her presence. I feel sad that I was not able to spend the whole summer and more with all of the amazing people I met at Martin Luther Church. Nonetheless, I am grateful for the time we did get and I will be back to visit throughout the year!