... at the annual SALT Summerfest. Sponsored by a group of people who work in programs that provide services to senior citizens in the city and surrounding counties. SALT: Senior and Law Enforcement Together. There is no explanation for how I first got involved, but have been attending monthly meetings for several years at the public safety building, under the umbrella of the Police, Marshall and Sheriff. There are law enforcement representatives on the committee and interested participants from the citizenry of the county. The goal of the event, held in July each year is to help make senior citizens more aware of services that are available to them, people in the community who can help provide for their needs. Legal advice, health information, support services offered by the state.
I'm pretty sure most just show up for the free lunch. In the past it has been hotdogs, cooked on an outdoor grill by members of the police department and served with chili, pickles, chips and a drink. This year, someone recommended bar-be-q sandwiches. I surprised myself by eating a whole sandwich - more meat than I have consumed in weeks. I was so hungry, I'm not even sure how it tasted. Was it good? I don't know! It did not have any sort of sauce or flavoring, other than the smokey quality that comes from being cooked over a wood fire, and I did get chicken rather than eat a pig. I think it was tasty, but when I finished chewing there was sooooo much solid food sitting there in a lump in my belly. I thought: I need to go home. I am in need of a nap to digest all this unexpected gigantic Thanksgiving-sized meal that felt like turkey, dressing, gravy, sweet potato casserole, twelve kinds of dessert, etc., I have shoveled into my person.
The group had done some fund-raising to accumulate the resources to pay for that catered meal, and not sure they broke even. There were a number of 'vendors', those people who provide services to seniors, offering brochures, hard candies, free pens, highlighters, little plastic bags to stuff full of giveaways and goodies, various handouts to provide contact info. for community resources. Those vendors had to pay a small fee to rent table space, which helped fund the box lunches. I asked my employer to donate cookies for dessert, that got bagged up and distributed after lunch boxes were given to all the attendees. I probably passed out about forty lunches that included the sandwich, chips and pickles, and think that I heard two, of those dozens, said 'thank you' when they got their food. There were quite a few boxes remaining when everyone was served, that would have certainly disappeared if left unattended, so they set them aside to portion out to the SALT team/committee after it was over. I am completely through eating like that, but brought home a sandwich to feed The Man Who Lives Here. Thereby allowing me to not give meal prep. a single lingering thought tonight.
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