The Priceless Gifts of Knowledge and Experience

A retired schoolteacher, Steve Bradley spends hours every week volunteering at The Ottawa Mission. He helps us in so many ways – sorting clothing donations, preparing and serving meals, and most frequently working in what is called the “dish pit” – the front end of the automated dishwasher in our busy kitchen.

While working in the kitchen, Steve has been able to observe the students who are part of our Food Services Training Program as they are put through their paces over a five month period. The program includes practical hands-on kitchen work as well as classroom theory using textbooks from college-level culinary courses. Many of the students coming into the program have limited educations, and the prospect of attending and participating in classes and doing homework can be quite daunting.

This is where Steve comes in – taking on yet another volunteer assignment as an educational mentor to our Food Services students. He will help them with their written assignments, counsel them on study habits, and provide all of the benefit of his years in teaching.

So, while Steve continues to do the everyday work that is vital to making The Mission run so smoothly, he is also giving us the wonderful gifts of his knowledge and experience to help make our Food Services program the best it can be.

Thank you, Steve, for all that you do.