By Jim McCaffrey 

I got to thinking about what inspires volunteerism recently. It was after McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita joined several other area restaurants in hosting groups for Decorah’s Holiday Showcase of Homes Tour. Two stellar volunteers, Linda Quaas and Kris Kraft, formulated this novel idea just two short years ago. They approached the Winneshiek Medical Center Foundation. A committee would be formed. It would solicit four homeowners to open their doors and let area merchants deck their homes out for the holidays with products from their stores. It was a lot of work for the committee, merchants and staff, and the homeowners too. Applause! Applause! This year’s event raised funds for Winneshiek Medical Center to purchase two new Advanced Life Support monitors for its ambulances. It was a rousing success, raising $28,000 for the project. The Dolce Vita had the breakfast buses. We served fresh spinach and onion quiche, popovers, and fresh fruit salad along with mimosas. Nothing like a little champagne for breakfast to whet one’s enthusiasm for the upcoming day! When the buses pulled up at 7:30 am, it was still pretty dark out. A bevy of excited ladies, along with a sprinkling of men, descended upon us. While our staff and some volunteers were getting food and drinks out to everyone, three more tour volunteers were arranging raffle ticket sales. $5 a ticket with a chance to win half the pot as prizes during the meal. The other half went to support the event. One volunteer, the ever so elegant Elea Uhl, enthusiastically exhorted her captive audience of the enchanting prospect of extra enrichment for the holidays. (How do you like that line, eh?) Everybody reached for their purse or wallet. Amazingly well organized and efficient. I was duly impressed. After a culmination of ten months of hard work and dedication, the end result was truly outstanding. A commitment of many to achieve a common goal. This was true altruism. A few days after, I thought about this project and others. I pondered the motivation. Is it an act of selfishness to be rewarded by someone’s smile and gratitude or truly an act of selflessness? Probably the line falls somewhere in the middle. Definitely nothing to feel guilty about, however. Volunteerism is a gift of the most precious possession a person has. The gift of time. As poet/songwriter James Durst said, “Help one another; there is no time like the present and no present like time.” Material goods come and go but the memory of lending a hand to a friend, stranger, or community is for a lifetime. Besides that, it just feels good, gol’ darn it! As I go through life, sometimes I just shake my head and chuckle. The paradox is this: I find as a rule the busiest people I know are also the ones I see doing the greatest amount of community service. Those type A people just never seem to be able to sit down. One of my favorite projects that I have been fortunate enough to be involved in is “Empty Bowls.” This event raises funds for local food pantries or national projects like Lutheran World Relief. Restaurants, bakeries and private individuals make soup and bread, and area potters throw one-of-a-kind soup bowls. For a donation of $20, a person selects a bowl and has a choice of a multitude of different soups and bread. They take the bowl home as a remembrance of the event. There is electricity in the air. Everybody is abuzz. All of the many volunteers and attendees are overtly enthusiastic. It is a win-win situation for everyone. Last year more than 900 people shared the communal tables at Empty Bowls. A time to make new friends and renew relationships with old friends. I was in charge of soup. (Who made that decision?). We had something like 180 gallons with very little left at the end. This type of project is so inspiring. You just want to be involved. Now that the holiday season is descending upon us, take a moment or two to reflect on the real meaning of giving. There always is someone who is less fortunate than ourselves. Whether we help individually or as a community, we become a stronger society because of it. Lily Tomlin once said “Somebody should do something about that. Then I realized I was a somebody.” Be that somebody and reach out. It just feels good! If you are thinking of volunteering, here are a few places to take a look at in the area: Northland Agency on Aging which provides Meals on Wheels to inbound citizens and other services, any of the area nursing homes, Winneshiek Medical Center, Seed Savers Exchange, public libraries, RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) which is located in the Decorah Public Library, local museums and schools just to name a few. Online extra: Read an great Inspire(d) story about Empty Bowls here or a fabulous interview with Winneshiek Medical Center ambulance drivers here. Jim McCaffrey is a chef, author, and co-owner with his family of McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita restaurant and Twin Springs Bakery just outside Decorah. He is author of a humorous cookbook titled “Midwest Cornfusion.” He has been in the food  industry in one way or another for 40years. Visit Dolce Vita’s website: http://mcdolcevita.com or email Jim at mcdolcevita@gmail.com. Spinach and Onion Quiche 1 9-inch deep dish pie crust 1 egg yolk beaten Filling 1 pkg fresh spinach 1 red onion sliced 1 ½ cups grated Swiss cheese 1 cup heavy cream 3 eggs beaten 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp white or black pepper Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush pie crust with beaten egg yolk. Cover the bottom of the crust with spinach. Add a layer of onion. Cover with half of the cheese. Add another layer of spinach and onion. (You will have enough left over for the start of a salad.) Cover with the other half of the cheese. Whisk the remaining ingredients together and pour over the top of the pie. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean.  (Author’s note: This is for all of the ladies on the bus tour who asked for the quiche recipe.)