Tim MacLean (left) talks with a local priest (right) at the St. Francis of Assisi Soup Kitchen. Photo Credit: Tim MacLean
HARRISBURG- The holiday season is a perfect time to help those who are in need. For one man, however, serving the community is a year-round endeavor.
Tim MacLean has prepared, cooked, and served food at St. Francis of Assisi Soup Kitchen in downtown Harrisburg for the past three years.
MacLean worked in a soup kitchen as an undergraduate student at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh and has since been interested in serving the less fortunate. So when the opportunity came around to put his cooking skills to good use at St. Francis’ Soup Kitchen, he didn’t hesitate.
The food that MacLean cooks is donated to the Soup Kitchen by the local Giant supermarket and other various businesses.
This past Easter, hot dogs were donated for the Easter meal, but MacLean decided that just wouldn’t cut it.
“I went out and bought fifteen hams and the other person I cook with bought mashed potatoes and vegetables and we made a big Easter feast for them,” MacLean says. “I think everyone deserves to have a nice meal during the holidays.”
He also says that for some, eating at the soup kitchen is a treat.
“We had a family come in with two children and one of them said to me, ‘this is the first time I’ve ever eaten at a restaurant!’ When you hear that, it really puts things into perspective,” he says.
MacLean plans on continuing his work at the Soup Kitchen and says he encourages people to take part in community service.
“It’s important to give back to the community. It doesn’t have to be through working at a Soup Kitchen, but anything that will help those who are struggling to make ends meet,” MacLean says.
He’s happy to help out those who are in need, not just during the holiday season, but all year round.
“It’s rewarding. It’s definitely rewarding.”
For more information about the St. Francis Soup Kitchen, visit: https://plus.google.com/111565495557971126918/about?gl=us&hl=en
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http://www.yellowpages.com/harrisburg-pa/mip/st-francis-asissi-soup-kitchen-7870889