It looked like a ski lodge at first, with people sitting on chairs and benches and wearing their parkas and hats.  Nearly two feet of fresh snow surrounded the building.  But missing from the ski lodge portrait was the fancy gear and bright colors. In fact some of the people had towels wrapped around them.   Ragged packs and torn blanket rolls lined the walls. This was no ski lodge; this was Bean’s Cafe, a warm place where hundreds of homeless and hungry gathered in the sub-zero temperature of Anchorage Alaska.

Alaska Job Corps students had come to help with food preparation and hot lunchtime.  They immediately set to work, opening cans of beans, scrubbing potatoes, and preparing hundreds of sandwiches.  It was 1030 in the morning and the day would be a long one.  By noon, a large food line offered fruit, salad, rice, chicken, and beans.

The students from Student Government Association and the Youth to Youth/Partners for Peace (Y2Y/P4P) group were offering up their public concern and service.  It was a day of learning—about compassion and sharing and community.

After all the 440 people were served, the dishes became the goal.  Meanwhile several students built and  packaged up hundreds of baggies of trail mix, for later hand outs.  Some sliced boxes and boxes of bakery items into chunks for fast carb snacks.  And then there were the 20+ pound turkeys.  At least twenty turkeys had been recently roasted.  The Chef instructed students the proper way of deboning turkeys and separating the meat into future meals.   Off with the drumsticks.  Separate the meat from the thigh.  Pull the tender wing meat.  Crack the breast right down the middle.  And scoop out huge chunks of steaming breast meat in one large piece.  All was sorted specifically for potential meals.

Job Corps students did it all and without a single complaint.  They worked as teams and wouldn’t leave until absolutely everything was done.  There was some precious interaction between Bean’s clientele, staff and the students along with many thanks.

Public Service coupled with training is one of the best things about the Job Corps program.  “There but for the grace of God, go I, “ quoted one student on the bus ride back to the Center.   You see Public Service isn’t limited to Martin Luther King Day…it is continual and with it comes the appreciation of others; appreciation to the Job Corps program;  and a recommitment to making individual lives better through training and service.