By Thomas Cottingham
Features Editor
The Olean warming house is one of the oldest student-ran soup kitchens in the country.
The building is open six days a week all year round, and Bonaventure students and faculty unite to serve the less fortunate and needy.
Christopher Stanley, Ph.D., has started a bimonthly volunteer service at the warming house with other faculty and staff members at St. Bonaventure University.
Stanley and his wife have been helping out the soup kitchen for 17 years and counting.
On Sunday, Stanley starts cooking at 2:30 p.m. with a couple of other volunteers to help out the poor in the Olean area.
What makes the warming house special is the gratitude that is always shown by the people who use it.
“Guests are always so grateful and enjoy my cooking,” said Stanley. “[They] show appreciation by just saying ‘hey good cooking Chris’ or just coming for seconds.”
Another interesting thing that takes place at the warming house is a small listening session with everyone in the kitchen.
Usually political discussion with a large group of people can usually drive to the topics of the election, law enforcement, immigration and other controversial topics.
This is not the case at the soup kitchen.
Out of everything there is to be mad about, the guests at the warming house want to advocate the cracks in the sidewalks.
The cracks make it hard to ride bikes, cause injuries and are just an eye sore.
Meek requests such as this are one of the many reasons why the warming house is a whole different experience.
The humble and simplicity of the guests show that they are humans just like everyone else.
Stories like this will spread the word around campus about the good that comes out of the warming house.
Either helping out in the kitchen or just sending a generous donation, supporting the warming house and helping the needy is one of the basic groundwork that St. Bonaventure is built upon.
cottintf14@bonaventure.edu
