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I can distinctly remember the first seminar in Almaty for
"Food" program workers. Without any difficulty I found Hesed
"Polina" office:
- Shalom!
- Shalom!
- Where are you from?
- I'm Tatyana Ponkratova from Kokshetau.
I was invited to come in. It was dinner time. Several Hesed
clients were getting dinner from the hands of a cook, the rest were already
sitting at the tables. I was also offered to eat. Having done a long way,
I didn't refuse it.
The dinner was plain, fresh and very tasty. But the atmosphere
in the soup-kitchen amazed me more that culinary things. I would characterize
it as a unity and mutual understanding in Hesed. Having their dinner,
people discussed Hesed news, latest "Davar" newspaper issue.
Having arrived from Almaty, I immediately went to Hesed "Nathan"
director to tell about the seminar. Anatoliy told me: "Tanya, are
you talking about seminar or about dinner that you were offered?"
In fact, having loved the atmosphere of Almaty soup-kitchen, notably Hesed
hospitality, I constantly returned to that recollection.
"If only we could do the same!" - this escaped me.
"I have constantly thought about it. And I have talked
about this to Aleksandr Baron for several times. He doesn't refuse, but
first advice me to calculate everything. Will it be profitable? Soup-kitchen
should meet all sanitary standards, we should find a good cook and don't
forget about Kashruth rules… A cafe that we cooperate with, evokes in
our workers and clients only good feelings".
The visit of Almaty auditor Valeriy Berkman destroyed all
the doubts. When Hesed "Nathan" gained the roof, its members
started to make all necessary preparations for the opening of a soup-kitchen.
Soon everything was ready, but… We couldn't find the main
thing - a good cook. For several months Hesed has been searching for him
until we accidentally met with Valentina Verezhnikova - a kind and hearty
woman. We decided to try. Moreover the situation with our favorite partner
has significantly changed.
The cafe, where our clients had dinners, had already been
closed because of the reconstruction of the building. So the people could
be left without our support. As a prepared dinner is of great necessity
for those who is not able to switch a gas-jet!
So, the soup-kitchen of Hesed "Nathan" has been
working for 2 months already. And we were not mistaken when chose a cook!
Clients are satisfied with the quality of dinners and our workers - with
benevolence of a new worker.
Tatyana Ponkratova
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