Anna Lisa (30) cooks for the homeless at walk-in centre De Kloof: "Here I work as myself and am good enough"
."Through De Regenboog Groep, I had already been 'buddy' to someone twice. First, with an elderly, lonely lady who had difficulty walking and therefore lived in isolation. Then a younger girl with a withdrawn life. I would visit her for tea and then bring cakes. I really enjoyed doing that, but I missed working in a team. I then told that to my coordinator Jesse, upon which she introduced me to walk-in centre De Kloof, on the Kloveniersburgwal. I started there at the end of January 2020, just before the first lockdown.
Exciting!
Normally, different groups of volunteers cooked at De Kloof on Mondays: the Rotary, the English Church and the American Expats. On the Mondays when they didn't cook, Willem, an icon at De Kloof, cooked. But, Willem retired, and of the cooking volunteers, only the American Expats came over. So then the question came up, "Who can cook on Mondays?", and I started doing that. I found it exciting, but also a challenge to try. Besides, it is such a nice and beautiful kitchen to cook in! So yes, I am currently cooking for twenty diners at a time and a total of thirty-five diners in one day. People also come in later and some come -for whatever reason- to pick up a meal.
No more leaving
I don't want to leave that kitchen anymore either, haha! And how I can laugh with the visitors! Volunteering helps me become more assertive. I have worked a lot in stores, including very expensive ones, where people are not customers, but 'guests'. Then it's not so much about who you are or how you feel, but about the service you give. At De Regenboog, I work as myself and I am good enough, even when I am not feeling well. And that's nice. Also, I feel good in the team. It's nice to work with these people. That goes for my whole experience at De Regenboog by the way: also when I volunteered as a buddy!"
Text: Sander Kersten and Jola Gosen | Image: Tessa Posthuma de Boer
Do as Anna Lisa. Become a volunteer.