Holiday Celebration
Thank You to Friends of Saffron Strand!
Jael Myrick, Chair of our Board of Directors, welcomed friends of Saffron Strand to our Holiday Celebration, December 10, 2011 at the Richmond Progressive Alliance office in Richmond.
More than 50 guests enjoyed local wines and other beverages, along with a big buffet of diverse appetizers, demonstrating Saffron Strand’s culinary talent. Pitching in to help were Saffron Strand homeless members, board members, volunteers, and staff who then joined in the fun. Our Holiday Celebration was an opportunity to thank Saffron Strand supporters for their vision, dedication, and assistance throughout 2011.
Local Richmond musicians Andres Soto & The Band opened with their trademark Latin jazz, which got many moving on the dance floor, and followed up with tunes for everyone’s taste.
When The Band took a break, RPA member Jerome Smith read his poem “Winter Gift,” which was written especially for this evening and donated to Saffron Strand:
Winter Gift
your face
is etched as a drop of rain
in a cold winter sky
each line of beauty crystalline pure
floating forming
becoming
a gift
to mother earth
your face
is etched as stars in the night
sky
twinkling alive
singing the songs
of eternity
of Gaia
of Hanukah
of Christmas
your face
is etched as memories in a life
falling flooding moments changing
like faces etched
like a snowflake
each new fresh
moments
etched our face
in peace
in hope
in joy
Back to the appetizer buffet: There were “tasties for every taste” and everyone relished the experience. Some guests remarked that every Saffron Strand event includes good things to eat: Our Conference, Friends & Family Bar-B-Q, Autumn Wine Tasting, and Holiday Celebration to name the annual events so far. Some guests were aware that we also cook delicious, nutritious food with homeless members for lunch at the Saffron Strand Center in Point Richmond. Maybe not surprisingly, word-of-mouth around Richmond has generated interest in the wide range and variety of Saffron Strand dishes.
At the Holiday Celebration, Jen Copeland, Saffron Strand’s Resident Artist, announced that she was collecting recipes from friends of Saffron Strand for a new cookbook she would illustrate. Jen asked guests to submit their favorite recipes.
Special thanks to Jerome, Jen, Andres and his fellow musicians, and all friends of Saffron Strand who came to celebrate the holidays, our beloved community, and our progress working together to reduce homelessness in Richmond and other Contra Costa communities.
For more photos of the Holiday Celebration and other Saffron Strand news and photos, visit us on Facebook.
