For a dozen employees from the Ogden ALC Business Operations office, their Nov. 19 Wingman activity included serving sloppy joes, applesauce and green beans.

Following the mandatory safety and resilience briefings, the employees traveled to St. Anne’s Kitchen at the Lantern House in southeast Ogden to dish up the noon meal.

“Given the season, the topic of the  Wingman event and in alignment with our core values, a service event seemed appropriate,” said Chuck Davis, Program Analyst. “Giving back to a community that supports us will never be the wrong decision. Taking stock of our blessings and promoting goodwill through volunteerism is the least we can do to show our appreciation of a giving community. We truly appreciated the opportunity to pay it forward.”

Their three-hour shift included serving, washing dishes and doing other chores around the kitchen, such as cleaning windows and checking in diners.

“We really enjoyed working at St. Anne’s,” commented Bill Woudenberg, from the Strategic Planning Office. “The staff got us started, then watched from a distance while we worked. It gave us an appreciation about how agencies like this help others in need.”

The Lantern House facility opened at its location near Ogden’s Newgate Mall in June 2015, and has accommodations for men, women and families. The kitchen serves three meals daily – breakfast and supper for the Lantern House residents and lunch for the community.

“We serve more than 150 lunches every day,” said Stacey Gallegos, St. Anne’s Development Manager. “Last year, we served more than 78,000 meals. We really appreciate volunteers like these. We rely on their donation of time, as well as donations of food items from other sources, to keep the kitchen running.”

For more details about the Lantern House, its services and volunteer opportunities, visit www.stannescenter.org.