Every time I write a new blog entry, I check out the previous entry and realize over and over again how infrequently I update my blog. Then I write a new entry and declare that I will write more often. This time, I mean it!
Yesterday, we hosted a thanksgiving dinner at BLUE1647 for the entire community of Pilsen. When I first developed this concept, I wanted it to be the exact opposite of a soupkitchen: the volunteers on one side serving the “people” on the other side. To me, it suggests we’re different, which is contrasts with the fact that we live different lives. I wanted rich and poor, old and young, unsheltered and sheltered to eat together at the same table, and serve themselves like a family. And that’s what we did, and we did it well for Version 1.0.
As with this Tribune article on BLUE1647 that was published last week, we could either be a gentrifying force, or be a part of the community. This year, we had our first community dinner and we expect to have many, many more! We had a great turnout from all walks of life, and the energy and love in the room was infectious.
These two cents by Emile Cambry Jr 