Shout out to James at DC Central Kitchen

[Kibbee Nayee]

My office decided we weren't going to do a holiday party this year, and instead, we would all show up at DC Central Kitchen for a morning of volunteering our time and efforts for a good cause. About two dozen of us were there, shredding turkey and cutting up squash and otherwise pitching in.

The foreman was James, who had me cooking acres of spinach in large vats -- my reward was a delicious cup of pot likker for my break -- and running the squash through the oven, and then combining the spinach and squash as a main ingredient in the turkey casserole being prepared for 5000 hungry people later in the day. I haven't worked so hard in decades, and I didn't want to stop. And I can't wait to get back there.

People like James are few and far between, and the world needs more of him. He gives his life to the task of feeding the hungry, every day, for what must be a meager monetary return but an infinite soul-building return. My holiday season just improved immensely thanks to this man. I will stage for him any time.