It has been a long time since we have eaten together as a community. Both our weekly lunch and breakfast meals have been in to-go bags since March 2020. Alas, there still have been little moments- picnics with a handful of people, birthday celebrations with individuals, dinners at St.Francis’ Table (an organization that serves food around tables in the neighbourhood). But otherwise, eating together hasn’t been able to happen with community like it used to.
Before Covid, as a part of our regular routine, on the first Sunday of every month we would partake in a potluck after service. And now, after three years, we finally had the chance to bring back this special time! At the beginning of January, Erinn announced this news to the congregation and it was met with a response of cheer and excitement. A Sunday potluck involves inviting all to bring whatever they can, whether that be a pizza, homemade baked goods, a box of crackers, a chocolate bar, etc.
I was not sure how this potluck would pan out. It’s been a long time since we’ve done this and there’s quite a few new people as well. But sure enough, the minute the service wrapped up, we all dove into the potluck just like before. It felt like no time had passed. Food from everyone was spread out across the table at the back and, in buffet fashion, people filled their plates along in a line. After getting a plateful, everyone stuck around chatting and enjoying an array of dishes. It was sweet to witness new people meeting our long time Dale friends and to see deeper connections being made.
It’s exciting to move forward into new things for The Dale in addition to old things coming back! I’m looking forward to continuing once a month potlucks and enjoying meals together.
oliviaatthedale 