Thursday

The day's pattern was quite similar to yesterday's: with the morning dedicated to "critical incident report" sharing. For lunch, we visited a thriving and innovative feeding ministry in downtown Kansas City operated by Episcopal Community Services. It attempts to foster a "dining with dignity" ethos among its clientele of homeless, under-employed, and mentally-challenged guests. Instead of being handed a tray and directed to a line, they are seated by a maitre'd, and order from a simple menu from their tables. Many of those who wait tables and work in the kitchen are getting experience that will help them find employment in the restaurant industry. What an encouraging experience this was. The rest of the afternoon was more or less free, and most of us visited a nearby upscale shopping area. Our farewell dinner was back downtown--for a change of pace, in this red-meat section of the country, at a fine seafood restaurant. Not quite locally-sourced, but delicious nonetheless.

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