Seniors Serve at My Brother's Table

One of the guests at My Brother's Table on Friday described the servers in three words.

"Real good," he said. "Fun."

The real good and fun servers were 25  seniors — players and coaches for the school's flag football team.

Senior class adviser Joe Tenney said the team wanted to do more than just donate money from the football game gate.

"We decided to serve lunch," he said. They also brought cookies and brownies.

The crew spent Veterans Day morning and early afternoon in aprons and gloves cutting vegetables, ladling chicken soup, and serving meat pies.

They greeted guests, served them lunch, poured coffee and drinks, and sat down at their tables to talk. More than 100 people ate lunch on the holiday.

Afterwards the students chowed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, wiped down tables, washed pots and pans, cleaned the kitchen and hustled to Swampscott High for flag football practice.

My Brother's Table needed their help and high spirits. 

Brother's relies entirely on private donations, donated food and volunteer labor.

The kitchen serves more than 100,000 meals a year. That's meals 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Hunger drives some guests to the 98 Willow St. kitchen in downtown Lynn. Some sit at the table because food dollars are scant at month's end and the meal makes a difference in their budget. Some are lonely and want to be around other people.

The Swampscott kids brought their labor, cookies and brownies, and good cheer.

"They seemed excited to be here," Operations Manager Meredith Nash said.

Brother's Executive Director Dianne Kuzia Hills said many high school students, sports team and church group members who volunteer are notable in what they do not bring to the table — preconceptions about the guests.

"Kids have a lot of energy, good energy," she said. "Open hearts."

This was the first time the Swampscott seniors had volunteered at Brother's, Tenney said.

The time in the Lynn kitchen and dining room also served as a team-building exercise.

The girls are preparing for their annual flag football battle with counterparts from Marblehead on Saturday.

Six or seven senior boys are coaching the flag football team, helping out Tenney and fellow coach Joseph Bennett.

But Friday's main event was in Lynn where the seniors fed hungry people and had fun helping out.