Day 24: Free Community Dinner

By Laura Carpenter

Free Spaghetti Dinner was Day 24 of 30Days of Kindness. This event was advertised and promoted as best we could, and our sign was out front all day announcing, “Free Spaghetti Dinner 5:30pm.” By the time 5:30 rolled around, the tables and chairs were setup, the tea was brewed, the bowls, cups, and utensils were purchased, and enough spaghetti, salads and brownies were prepared to feed thirty people…but no one showed up. 

 

5:45 rolled around…still no one. As the clock ticked on and the room remained bare, Kaler and I looked at each other and said, “Want to eat some spaghetti?” So we sat ourselves down and, looking on the bright side, we decided this was a much needed dinner date for the two of us who had been catching quick on-the-go dinners for the past 23 days (except for Day #2).

As we ate, we discussed our thoughts and feelings towards the fact that no one accepted our offer for a free dinner. We were disappointed, as can be expected, but not crushed. After all, we’re looking at one complete dud out of 24 AoK's so far. Those are some odds we can tolerate. As to why people didn’t jump at the opportunity for a free dinner, I don't know for sure. To some degree, I was so worn out from the 30 Days of Kindness campaign that I began to experience a bit of numbness. I just wanted to eat some spaghetti, pack it all up, and get some much needed R and R for the night. 

Kaler on the other hand, was still determined to bless someone with a free meal. As we ate, I could tell he was trying to cook up a rescue mission. Finally, he arrived upon a fantastic solution, “We can give this food away to firefighters on duty tonight. Those are hungry guys who like to eat.” 

Kaler called the Oneonta fire department and offered to deliver the food to them. They accepted the offer and did us one better by coming to pick it up themselves. A few minutes later, a huge red diesel truck arrived in our driveway and Kaler loaded them up with pots of spaghetti and pans of brownies. A couple of hours later that same truck returned with the pots and pans empty and cleaned. 

All was not lost. Due to Kaler’s determination and creative problem solving, day 24 was not a complete flop. We were able to bless the Oneonta firefighters, a group of people especially deserving of kindness in return for their willingness to put themselves in the way of danger in order to keep our city safe.