WASHINGTON -- How about a nice, hot lunch with a side of fame?
First lady Michelle Obama surprised a homeless lunch crowd of about 50 on Thursday by scooping mushroom risotto at Miriam's Kitchen, a soup kitchen just seven blocks from the White House.
The work at Miriam’s Kitchen “is an example of what we can do, as a country and as a community, to help folks when they’re down,” she said. “We’re all going to need one another in these times. We’re going to need to keep lifting each other up, in prayer and in hope.”
Miriam’s Kitchen is located in a basement under Western Presbyterian Church in Foggy Bottom and is highly regarded for its work with homeless people over the past 26 years. Breakfast is served every day to between 200 and 250 people, mainly men, according to Sara Gibson, director of development for the privately funded organization, which has more than 1,200 volunteers and depends on in-kind contributions to keep costs down (the cost of an average meal is $1.50).
Gibson said most of the guests seen at the soup kitchen have been homeless for an average of nearly five years each.
The first lady's presence was a surprise for the people there for lunch. They seemed genuinely delighted by her presence and made small talk with her as she dished out food for close to 15 minutes.
“We’re really just thrilled that our new neighbors took notice of what we’re doing,” Gibson said.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
The First Lady’s office arranged a White House-wide food drive that yielded close to eight cases of fresh fruit, delivered Wednesday evening, which should be enough to provide fruit for almost two weeks of meals, according to executive director Scott Schenkelberg, who introduced Mrs. Obama.
Pierre D. Carter, 61, sported a well-worn Obama cap. He said he’d been coming to Miriam’s Kitchen for breakfast on a daily basis for the past three or four months from a homeless shelter in northeast Washington.
Because of the recession, homelessness “is getting worse and there’s more people coming in here every day,” he said. “You come in here and you feel like a person again."
