Late Night Community Service Adventures with The Night Ministry

Thank you to Liz Peschges for contributing this post.

On a late night in January, the temperature was predicted to be about 30 degrees so we decided to make a healthy and hearty batch of three-bean enchilada chili for the Night Ministry patrons. Of course, it’s impossible to eat chili without cornbread so we made sure to bring a few dozen home made muffins to top it off.  The group of volunteers got together around 8pm on Saturday night and met in Liz’s apartment to get started chopping and cooking. We had stations set up for chopping, sautéing, stewing the chili, and of course mixing and baking the muffins. For dessert we picked up a variety pack of Oreo cookies and let the patrons pick their favorites.

Once we arrived at Wicker Park and met up with the Night Ministry van we set up the table and began to see a lot of familiar faces. Everyone loved the food. We had a lot of laughs, took a lot of photos, had our photos taken, and one of the regular patrons showed off his impressive gymnastic skills. His display of flexibility sparked a small talent show, which included a few difficult yoga poses and a small dance-off.

Once again, we had a great time seeing familiar faces and we met a lot of interesting people from all walks of life. The patrons did have one small request for next time: Spaghetti and Meatballs!

Since 1976, The Night Ministry, a non-denominational, non-profit organization, has served Chicago’s most vulnerable. The Night Ministry compassionately provides housing, health care, outreach, spiritual care, and social services to adults and youth who struggle with homelessness, poverty and loneliness.