During Thanksgiving the Old Town Mission delivered more than 600 turkeys — an impressive number, certainly, but one that pales in comparison to the monthly tally of meals served to locals in need of a hearty lunch.
“The high day this last week was 102,” General Manager Kellie Wilson said, adding that the mission averages somewhere around 75 lunches per day, Monday through Friday.
She called the mission, which does far more than lunches, a “non-stop operation” — one that boasts a work squad of more than 100 volunteers, “a good 20 to 25 of which we have come back every week.” This does not include the volunteers who swell the ranks during holidays and food drives.
Regardless of the hectic atmosphere that can sometimes prevail, Wilson takes pride in the working of the kitchen. Not once under her leadership has the mission failed a health inspection.
Recently, the inspector told her, “I can’t find any mice.”
“Yeah,” Wilson answered. “And you never will.”
Wilson, a Verde Valley native who began volunteering at the mission in 1997 — only eight years after its founding — explained that, far from being a hands-off administer, being the general manager means that she gets to do “the fun things,” making sure that everyone is enjoying themselves.
Wilson’s assistant general manager, Jill Sweet, agreed as she offered a tour around the mission. She is currently working hard on “lots of improvements and changes,” from remodeling the front reception area to making the clothing room — where individuals in need select donated clothing — look more like a department store.
“We want to make it nice for them,” Sweet said as she proudly displayed the hair-cutting room, in appearance no different from any barbershop. “We gave 13 haircuts the other day.”
Next, Sweet wants to make the multipurpose room where lunch is served look more like a cafe and less like a cafeteria. She would like to see local restaurants step up — many of whom have already, she added — and provide tables, chairs and booths.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s mismatched,” Sweet added.
Sweet placed a high value on the community aspect of sharing lunch. By her estimation, only 15 to 20 percent of the people who come are homeless; most are simply looking for smiling company. For Wilson and Sweet, that’s the easiest thing to provide.
“We laugh,” Sweet said. “We always have fun.”
