WASHINGTON — Volunteers were serving up a little Christmas spirit along with meals for the homeless on Christmas morning in Northwest, D.C.
鈥淭he rain had stopped and Miriam鈥檚 was open and I came here … Christmas is turning out pretty good so far,” says Elizabeth Telson.
But there are no presents under the tree for Telson.聽 She鈥檚 homeless and sleeps on the city streets.
The college graduate says, 鈥淚t鈥檚 not the situation I thought I鈥檇 find myself right now.聽 I鈥檓 happy I woke up this morning in one piece.聽 I had a good night鈥檚 sleep, it wasn鈥檛 cold and it stopped raining.鈥�
And on this Christmas聽Telson’s grateful for Miriam鈥檚 Kitchen, which provides a bit of calm in the storm of life on the streets.
Miriam’s Kitchen is a homeless services provider in D.C.聽 Also Telson is grateful for the volunteers who are serving up Christmas breakfast.聽 The breakfast menu reads like it鈥檚 from a fancy restaurant: Crepes with saut茅ed cinnamon brown sugar apples, fried egg sandwiches with prosciutto and mozzarella cheese; salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and quinoa, Kale-fruit smoothies and a choice of stone-ground grits or homefries.
Miriam鈥檚 Kitchen chef Steve Badt says the meals cost about 60-cents per meal since the food is donated.聽 Tom Murphy, communications director for Miriam鈥檚, says about a dozen volunteers were the ones making Christmas breakfast happen.聽 He says at each meal at Miriam鈥檚 they feed about 300 people.
Coreme Marsham, who鈥榮 from Lanham, Maryland is a regular volunteer at Miriam鈥檚 at least one to two times a month.聽 But this was her first Christmas serving breakfast — which she did with a warm and friendly smile.
Marsham says, 鈥淚t鈥檚 always important to me, for those who can鈥檛, you do for them.聽 It鈥檚 a privilege and an honor to serve.鈥�
She says the sacrifice of getting up in the wee hours of the morning are no problem, especially after she gets to Miriam鈥檚 and see the faces of those she鈥檚 serving.聽 She says it makes it all worthwhile especially helping on Christmas Day.
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