Imagine dedicating hours over a hot stove just to prepare meals for hundreds of other people.
- Rose Harbeck has spent more than 30 years as a volunteer
- Coalition for the Homeless feeds Orlando needy
For more than 30 years, that is exactly what Rose Harbeck has done as she worked as a volunteer for the Coalition for the Homeless.
"Yes, the smell of it makes me very hungry. Sometimes I’ve got to make a dish to sample it, just to make sure it’s perfect,” Coalition for the Homeless volunteer Rose Harbeck said.
One Friday of every month, Harbeck and a team of volunteers butter rolls and prepare enough spaghetti to feed 300.
Although Harbeck is in her 80s, she has been the mind behind this Italian-themed feast for hundreds of homeless and needy in Orlando for more than 30 years.
“I just don’t see any reason why you should be sitting home laying on the sofa or something if you could be doing something good,” Harbeck explained.
Her good deed starts with 15 jars of pasta sauce, 15 pounds of ground beef and noodles. While she stirs, fries and mixes all the ingredients together, dozens of volunteers get ready to pass out the food for those in need at the Coalition for the Homeless.
Although it is quite the task, Harbeck, every day spent over the past 30 years working on creating this meal to fill empty bellies was worth it.
“I’ll keep doing it until the Lord knocks me down,” Harbeck said.