She sees that Free Clinic volunteers get to eat
By SHARON GNAU

Jenny Mullen is always thinking about food, so much so that she plans meals months in advance, leaving no detail to chance. With the expertise and vigilance characteristic of a good caterer, she has a plan B in place, in the event that plan A falls through. 
 
Excessive? Not really, when you consider Mullen plans meals for the volunteer staff of the Bradley Free Clinic in Roanoke. 
 
The number of meals she arranges would be daunting for most. Just planning meals for the family can put a person over the top after dealing with the average workday. In addition to planning meals for her household, she organizes meals for 25 people, twice every week – a total of 2,600 meals per year, and also lines up the volunteers needed to complete the task. 
 
Mullen has been doing this for over 7 years, which means she has done her part to see that 18,200 meals made it from the hands of generous volunteers to the stomachs of hungry volunteers at the clinic. 
  
“When we first started, we really just planned on having a few snacks to put out for the doctors, dentists and staff who come in after their workday to volunteer here at the clinic,” she says. “Most of them don’t have time to eat after work, and are here until 9 o’clock at night. People started bringing in good food, and it got really big. After that we just started planning full meals so that the staff could plan on having dinner here. It’s gone very well.”
 
It’s gone well and, for the most part, without a hitch due to Mullen’s efforts to keep the food coming. She has an amazing list of restaurants, church groups, clubs and individuals who volunteer their time and food to feed 25 very hungry people on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and she never stops building the volunteer base. 
 
“We have a large number of groups and individuals that provide meals for us,” Mullen says. “Occasionally, someone might forget it’s their night to provide food, but that’s rare. The generosity of people in the area is overwhelming. There are so many who are willing to help.”
 
Even when Mullen goes out to eat, she’s recruiting. “Every time I go out to a restaurant that doesn’t already provide meals to the clinic, I ask the manager if they would like to help. I take every opportunity to get new restaurants to sign on. Most often, they’re happy to help, says Mullen. 
 
“Sometimes they don’t. In fact sometimes they don’t even return my phone calls. The restaurants that do help us know that we support them when we go out to eat. The clinic staff knows who to support because we post calendars noting who donated the food. Everyone knows where it came from.”
 
According to Mullen, some restaurants provide one or two meals during the year, while others donate meals regularly. “They prepare the meals, and we have volunteers who go out and pick up the food,” says Mullen. “We start setting up around 4 p.m. and have everything ready to go by 4:15 or 4:30. Everyone knows ahead of time what we’re having because we post it on the calendar.”
 
Lea Whitbeck, office and dental clinic manager at the Bradley Clinic, says the staff looks forward to the meals. “We’re so fortunate to have so many people who take the time to help. Even some of our patients bring in food from time to time. It’s their way of giving back. Whether it’s a church group, a restaurant or an individual, the people who provide these meals do a really good job. We appreciate all the help we get,” Whitbeck says. 
 
The most consuming aspect of making it all work is setting up the calendar for the next year. Begin-ning in November, Mullen starts planning meals for January and beyond. “It’s a lot of work getting people in place and filling all those slots, but it always works out,” she says. “Some of the groups and restaurants plan ahead of time and contact us to let us know when they can help. They’re very reliable.”
 
Once the calendar is set, Mullen places a reminder call at the beginning of the month to each contributor. “It would not go as smoothly as it does if not for the wonderful cooperation of the people who provide these meals, and the volunteers who pick up the food, and do the set up,” Mullen says. 
Mullen says that what she loves the most about her own volunteer efforts is the contact with people, and knowing that she’s doing something to help those who are helping others. “I think it’s important for the volunteers at the clinic to know that the community is behind them, supporting what they do, because they do so much for so many. It says a lot when so many people go out of their way to show their support by providing meals. It’s greatly appreciated.” 

Freelance writer Sharon Gnau lives in the Roanoke Valley.

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