On Wednesdays, 160 or more of San Miguel’s elderly people gather in the courtyard of the largest church in town. They gather for a home-cooked meal. The weekly soup kitchen, “So Others May Eat,” was started 21 years ago by the spunky Antoinette, a native Filipino who, with her husband, runs a hotel in town.
Hotel profits provide funding for the meal each week, which usually consists of rice, chicken, mole, tortillas, salad, and juice. Volunteers from the expatriate community in San Miguel help serve the meal, which is prepared y employees at Antoinette’s hotel.
Antoinette’s vision expands beyond the Wednesday meal. She encourages people to take up a small craft, like embroidery, and helps them get started on such endeavors. She hopes that each individual will be able to make a small income, rather than begging on San Miguel’s street corners. Fortunately, there are people like Antoinette all over the world. San Miguel’s Antoinette inspires me as I help out in the soup kitchen. She inspires me to think beyond myself.
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