Trading coffee for gloves and paper bags

In the land of Sunday-Thursday workweeks, the ideal start to my weekend is my wife joining me for breakfast or coffee at one of our favourite places. But since Friday is usually her busiest workday, we don’t often get that chance. So, I usually find myself at our local branch of the popular Aroma chain enjoying a coffee, croissant and a bit of “me-time.”

This Friday was different.

While the location was the same, the atmosphere certainly wasn't. With nary a croissant in sight, the owners of this coffee chain had taken it upon themselves to forgo profit and pay their staff to support the men and women putting their lives on hold to defend our country. The objective was to prepare, pack, deliver and distribute sandwiches in massive numbers to fill our soldiers’ stomachs and let them know they’re appreciated.

So, on this morning, as they had the entire week, our local branch became transformed into a sandwich-production factory, manned by the staff who normally prepare my coffee, and supported by volunteers from across the spectrum. They were religious and secular, veterans and immigrants, from Bet Shemesh, surrounding communities and further afield. One woman even came with her son all the way from Tel Aviv under the threat of rockets to be part of the effort. My step-daughter, who moved in with us at the beginning of the war, has become one of the regular weekday volunteers.

With credit to my wife who encouraged me to go (“and then you can write a blog about it”), I walked in somewhat overwhelmed at all the action around me. Without wasting time, I simply found a table where I could help. I put on a pair of gloves and started putting serviettes in bags (%%% -- see note below). I then moved on to putting sandwiches in bags and after that, writing messages on the bags, such as “We appreciate you”, “You guys are the best” with a heart next to it. I can only imagine what they would have thought if they knew the person drawing the heart was a middle-aged guy.

But it wasn’t all about work. I got to chat to the recent immigrant next to me who’d come with her daughter from South Africa. Her son was serving as a lone soldier and was about to finish his compulsory service. (Clearly, the war had put any post-army plans he has on hold.) There was another mother whose son was serving on a base close to Gaza. There were fathers with young kids who were having fun together helping out our “chayalim” (soldiers). And there were countless teenagers on a mission to make a difference wherever they can. As I left, I thanked the weary manager for his dedication and initiative, and he simply smiled, acknowledging the compliment.

My religious beliefs notwithstanding, I really believe that if there's a non-military based reason we’re going to win this war, it’s because of the people like those at Aroma that morning and the countless other volunteers at probably hundreds of locations across the country, who are sacrificing time, effort, money – and personal safety, to ensure our soldiers are cared for.

And as for my coffee? As soon as I got home, I sufficed with an instant cup of Jacobs – a relatively small sacrifice for me, even on a Friday morning.

%%% -- No, this isn’t about the “serviette” vs “napkin” debate. This is where I was writing when I had to stop due to a rocket alert. Thank G-d, everyone is OK.