Perspectives

I did not love living in the Twin Cities when I moved here.  I missed New Orleans, missed warmth, missed humidity, missed pralines, and had zero threshold for cold.  But I, somewhat begrudgingly, developed a strong affection for these Twin Cities, evidenced in part by my ability to always find somewhere new to visit, some new food to try, some new band to hear, and those new and new-to-me experiences fill the bulk of this blog.

But there's another reason I grew to love it here.  And that is the Cities' impressive array of volunteer opportunities and the seemingly inexhaustible appetite Minnesotans have for said volunteering.  For all my frustration with the coldness of Minnesota "Nice" (it's not particularly welcoming), there is a certain communal attitude of service that I really respect.

I shoveled a number of piles of mulch this afternoon with some fellow employees (I work for a large local Minnesota-based company) at Perspectives, a social service center in St. Louis Park. The center serves serves 50+ families on its grounds in supportive  housing as well as other children/families in the surrounding area through food service, tutoring, and after school programs.  After our mulching, we learned a bit about the facility and how local chefs often help cook/serve the meals side-by-side with the kids each night.  I just think that's fantastic.  The Kid's Cafe program teaches nutrition, leadership, and social skills for kids dealing with transition and/or homelessness in their lives.  Kids cook and serve the meals alongside the Perspectives chef as well as local restaurant chefs who donate their time.

Perspectives is working on developing more green space, installing gardens, etc., to further teach the community and the children often in their care the real life cycle of what ends up on their plates.  Such an exciting idea, and a lesson that is so often lost in urban environments.  I hope local restaurants and chefs continue to donate their time to this awesome organization.

There are lots of volunteer needs at Perspectives, so if you have a couple hours a week to spare to tutor a child or have other gifts/skills you think might be effective, check out their website.

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