TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23 , 2021. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ M2 B3
LOCAL DIGESTMARYLANDMan killed in collision
in Upper MarlboroA man was killed Monday in
Prince George’s County when his
car crossed a road and collided
with another vehicle, police said.
The crash occurred about
5:30 a.m. on South Osborne Road
near Farm Road, police said, as
the man was driving south and
crossed the double yellow line in
the center of South Osborne. His
car collided with a car going
north, police said.
Police said they were trying to
determine why the man’s car had
crossed the road. The man was
not identified immediately.
— Martin WeilMan shot in Suitland
dies weeks laterA 25-year-old man has died two
weeks after he was shot in the
Suitland area of Prince George’s
County, police said.
Tyrik Watts of Suitland was
found by patrol officers on the
afternoon of Nov. 8 outside a
vehicle in the 5700 block of East
Place. He died of his wounds
Saturday, authorities said.
Prince George’s homicide
detectives have taken over the
investigation.
— Katie MettlerCrucifix stolen from
church, police sayA foot-tall crucifix was taken by
burglars this month from a church
in Gaithersburg, city police said.
Two burglars forced their way
into the St. Martin of Tours
Catholic Church in Gaithersburg
between 9:45 and 11 p.m. on
Nov. 13, police said. Once inside,
they took a 12-inch-tall polished
bronze crucifix.
The intrinsic value of the
crucifix was not given in a
statement released last week by
Gaithersburg police.
— Martin WeilVIRGINIAOne driver killed, one
injured in Fairfax crashA driver died in a crash Monday
morning in Fairfax, officials said.
Police said the crash happened
along the Fairfax County Parkway
near Ox Road and involved two
cars. One driver was pronounced
dead at the scene. The person’s
identity was not immediately
released, pending the notification
of family. The other driver was
taken to a hospital with injuries
that weren’t life-threatening, police
said. Part of the parkway was closed
between Burke Centre Parkway
and Ox Road.
— Dana Hedgpeth“Chicken or
veggie?” Cheryl
Bell asks again and
again. “Chicken or
veggie?”
It’s a gloriously
unseasonable
Friday afternoon
and Bell, the
executive chef at
Miriam’s Kitchen, is doing what
she does every weekday: feeding
hungry people.
“You want chicken or veggie,
darling?” Bell says to a man who
keeps his life in a New Yorker tote
bag.
“Chicken, please,” he says.
Miriam’s — as the regulars call
the charity — is in Western
Presbyterian Church at 24th
Street and Virginia Avenue NW in
Foggy Bottom. Today’s dinner
offerings are half a roasted chicken
(black bean burger for the
vegetarians), along with mashed
potatoes, green bean casserole,
stuffing, flatbread and garden
salad. There’s homemade apple
sauce, too, along with coffee, tea,
water or apple cider. Dessert is a
selection of lemon pound cake,
strawberry shortcake and cookies.
“It’s all about elevated comfort
food,” Bell tells me.
Comfort is not a reliable part of
the lives of these men and women.
Most are experiencing
homelessness. Many live on the
streets. Some who have found
housing — with the help of
Miriam’s Kitchen — have trouble
affording groceries.
A few return to Miriam’s for
breakfast or dinner simply
because the people there — the
staff, the volunteers, the other
guests — have become family.
Today is special. It’s GuestFest, a
celebration of having endured
nearly two years of the pandemic,
with all the complications that
entailed.
Before covid, Miriam’s served
sit-down breakfast and dinner
inside, in a dining room. When the
pandemic struck, Miriam’s began
providing meals-to-go outside. It
erected a rest room trailer that has
only recently been removed. To
maintain social distancing, the
dozen volunteers who once helped
prepare and serve the meals were
reduced to just two.
That has meant a lot of work for
Bell and her executive sous chef,
Marcus May. Their days run from
4:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. They get a
break on Fridays, like today, when
the charity contracts with local
restaurants to provide the food.
That’s also a way to help small
businesses get through the
pandemic. Today’s sumptuous
meal came from the Queen Vic on
H Street NE.
“Mr. Ford, do you want chicken
or veggie?” Bell asks an older
gentleman. She knows many of the
guests by name.
“Veggie,” he answers.
“I should know that,” she says.
Mr. Ford carries a crutch that’s
fashioned from a cane, or perhaps
a cane that’s fashioned from a
crutch.
“Can I have a salad, too?” he
says.
“All that’s down there,” May
says, directing him to other tables
adorned with food. There’s also a
table where guests can choose
winter coats. Drawstring bags
contain gloves, hand warmers, a
scarf, a water bottle and other
winter necessities.
“Thank you,” Mr. Ford says.
He takes the plastic clamshell
that holds his meal and carries it
out of the courtyard to a patio
outside where he’s parked his
bicycle.
“These people have nothing,” he
tells me, nodding at the other
Miriam’s Kitchen guests, some
eating their dinner, others waitingin line to be served. “And what they
had, they lost. These are the people
that time forgot.”
It’s a diverse group. There are all
ages, from old men leaning on
canes to young couples who lean
on each other for support. They
carry backpacks and duffels and
plastic bags. The bags groan with
possessions: too many for the
bags, not nearly enough for a life.
Chef Bell learned about
Miriam’s Kitchen when she
worked in corporate real estate
and h er company volunteered
here.
“I fell in love with it,” she said of
the nonprofit.
Bell had studied at L’Academie
de Cuisine in Gaithersburg a nd
volunteered in the culinary
ministry at her church, Providence
St. John Baptist in Upper
Marlboro.
In 2015, she left her corporate
job to work at Miriam’s Kitchen.
“I say I traded a suit and pumps
for a chef’s jacket and Crocs.” (Her
Crocs have illustrations of fried
eggs on top.)
A logo on a GuestFest banner
neatly illustrates what Miriam’s
Kitchen tries to do. It shows the
jagged lines of an EKG joining a
knife and fork on one side with a
house on the other. A meal can be a
gateway to a home. Miriam’s earns
the trust of its guests, who maycome by for dinner for years before
accepting help in other areas of
their lives.
After 90 minutes, the line of
guests has slowed to a trickle.
Those who want seconds are
invited back. And Chef Bell has
added another question to her
“Chicken or veggie?” mantra: “You
want two?”
“Yes, please,” says a man pulling
a rolling suitcase. He takes the two
proffered meals, kneels, unzips his
bag and carefully places them
inside.
If he’s hungry come Monday
morning, Chef Bell and Miriam’s
Kitchen will be there for him.You can help
Miriam’s Kitchen is a partner in
The Washington Post Helping
Hand, our annual fundraising
campaign. We hope to raise
$250,000 by Jan. 7. You can help
us reach that goal by visiting
posthelpinghand.com and
making a donation.
To give by check, write
Miriam’s Kitchen, Attn:
Development, 2401 Virginia Ave.
NW, Washington, DC 20037.
[email protected]
Twitter: @johnkelly For previous columns, visit
washingtonpost.com/johnkelly.Miriam’s Kitchen serves up a healthy dose of comfort
John
Kelly's
Washington
JOHN KELLY/THE WASHINGTON POST
Marcus May, executive sous chef, and Cheryl Bell, executive chef, take a break from distributing meals
at Miriam’s Kitchen to people experiencing homelessness.Results from Nov. 22
DISTRICT
Day/DC-3: 2-4-5
DC-4: 2-1-9-9
DC-5: 1-3-7-5-3
Night/DC-3 (Sun.): 1-0-9
DC-3 (Mon.): 6-4-0
DC-4 (Sun.): 5-7-9-8
DC-4 (Mon.): 2-2-3-0
DC-5 (Sun.): 6-5-3-3-5
DC-5 (Mon.): 8-1-5-5-8MARYLAND
Mid-Day Pick 3: 0-0-1
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Multi-Match: 1-13-23-24-28-40
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5 Card Cash: 8S-3C-JS-KD-4SVIRGINIA
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