Day care Andere Koek Wijchen helps with packing starter packs
The other Koek day care foundation is going to help us. Every year we send almost 3,000 starter packs to new pilgrims. Quite a job! Our co-coordinator Manja Bente is therefore happy with these warm helpers from Wijchen. A report from the ‘headquarters’ of the Walk of Wisdom.
There is always a lot to do at the Walk of Wisdom pilgrim office. Every year, 2,500 to 3,000 starter packs are sent to new pilgrims. All those starter packs have to be prepared and packed: route guides with welcome booklet, pilgrim’s laces with registration ring, the pin with our symbol, stamps on the envelopes, etc. The laces also have to be cut and knotted from rolls of cork.
After everything has been prepared and packed, the starter packs are sent by our volunteers from the pilgrim office, who also answer all emails: Tineke, Salima and Anja. Our super reliable forces.
For packing and preparation, we have a group of volunteers who work from home or meet once a month at our ‘headquarters’ in Nijmegen. Volunteers work on it or come when they feel like it or have time. It is not an obligation and doing odd jobs together always results in very pleasant mornings together.
Crowds at the pilgrim’s office
The Walk of Wisdom is doing very well. That means a continuous flow of starter kits and work. That put too much pressure on our volunteers – it has to be fun. That’s why I placed a call in the Wijkkrantje Oost in Nijmegen to look for new people.
Other Cake
I was also thinking of approaching a day center for people with disabilities to ask them to help us. Suddenly I get an app from Anita Lamers of the “Andere koek” day care foundation . She had walked the Walk of Wisdom and was very excited about it. She thought: this is just the thing for our participants! Appealing material to pack.
Together with Tineke from our pilgrim office, I went on a reconnaissance trip at Andere Koek in Wijchen. We were immediately excited about the place. Because they are not affiliated with a large institution, they can act immediately and decide for themselves how they want to shape it. Because we mainly work with volunteers at the Walk of Wisdom , it quickly created a bond.
As far as they were concerned, they could get started right away. After all the items arrived, they had already packed 500 envelopes in one day. Truly turbo!
How wonderful that such synchronicity can arise… Thank you Andere Koek, for being here and cooperating so warmly!
We still continue to do our own jobs
At the Walk of Wisdom , we still stay at home and do odd jobs together. Volunteers who want to cut and tie mindful ‘pilgrim shoelaces’ at home are therefore still very welcome. Volunteers who prefer to socialize are also invited. We like that interconnection of preparing starter kits. Packing together with a cup of coffee feels good and connects with the pilgrims who will later go on the road with it.
But the pressure is off because of this.
More about Other cake
In their bakery and meeting space, the Andere Koek foundation in Wijchen offers daytime activities and specialist guidance tailored to young and old. It is a small-scale foundation with the aim of personal guidance. And of course have a nice day. Guidance can also be offered to people without an affinity for baking.
Andere Koek does all kinds of fun jobs such as wrapping chocolates, sticking stickers on lids and much more. They think it is important that participants experience a pleasant atmosphere during the daytime activities without work pressure. They get the best out of their people and together ensure that they go home with a good feeling.
Andere Koek works with all volunteers who supervise the participants in the day centre. Anita Lamers set up this day centre. She had worked as a civil servant at the municipality for a long time, but wanted something different. Baking cake is her passion, but sharing it with other people made it complete for her. The center has been in existence for 5 years now.
For us, the idea is that they really become part of our volunteers. If possible, they are invited to our parties. We will have to look for the shape, but as it looks now we are very happy with our collaboration with “Andere koek”.
More about Andere Koek in Wijchen: link.
