Al & Friends Sunday Breakfast

Thanks to Randy and his contagious enthusiasm, Al & Friends can be found again at the Pacific Grove Farmer's Market, (Everyone's Harvest) on Monday afternoons! Stop and say hello! Randy is a warm, inspiring man. He also can be found serving at any given Sunday breakfast, so he can illustrate the magic that occurs every weekend. ❤️

Volunteer Spotlight - June

Meet John
Age: 31
Job: Mechanical Engineer
Best Part: I’ve volunteered here and there since middle school. It is something I do to get out of the house and meet people in the community. It is to really be a local.
Time With Al: 8 Months


 


 



 
 

Thank you to for cooking super tasty tri tip and pork sirloins for today’s Sunday meal, accompanied by Mac ‘n Cheese, salad, homemade bread, strawberry butter cookies, boiled eggs, lentil soup, chips, bananas, muffins, chocolate chip cookies, pastries, and coffee provided by ACME Coffee Roasting Co. Another great meal - thank you volunteers!

In tomorrow's Weekly!

Lots of people & community & food.
Just the way we like it.

Today’s Meal: Al’s Pork and Lamb Chops served with Boiled Potatoes; Mushroom Gravy; Asparagus on the Grill; Heidi’s Community Garden Salad with Carrots, Corn and Cumbers and Home Made 1000 Island Dressing; Country Style Bread with Butter; Jack’s Brownies

“Table 3” Items: Hillary’s Hard-Boiled Eggs and Lentil Soup; Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies by Jennifer and Nan; Monterey’s Athletes that Care PB&J Sandwiches; Misc chips provided by Dewey; Mandarins and Bananas.

The AL & FRIENDS Coffee Station: Acme Coffee with condiments plus 3 - ½ gals of Orange Juice

Approximate Number of Meals: 121

Volunteers: 17




 


 



 
 

Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust Community Seafood Program helps others who are in need of nutritious meals. They have been amazing partners with Al & Friends and our guests have enjoyed locally caught, nutritious, and tasty meals from their donated fish. Please consider donating to them so they can continue to help others. Their donation drive is in until June 16. Info and donation link can be found at www.alandfriends.org

We’re out on the beach bike trail across from the McDonalds in Monterey starting around 8:45am this morning until we pack up. See you there!

TOMORROW! What delicacy will you be ordering? Yum!

Next Wednesday, take someone out for a scrumptious meal at The Red House Cafe, and support AL & FRIENDS! All day! Thanks Red House Cafe!

Next Wednesday, take someone out for a scrumptious meal at The Red House Cafe, and support AL & FRIENDS! All day! Thanks Red House Cafe!

April

Name: Al
Job: Al & Friends Founder/Chair of the Board
Best Part:
The fact that so many people get the best. We bring the best. If you don’t bring your best why do something? I wanted to never open a can for these people so we don’t. We have quality food and volunteers who show up.
13 years


 


 



 
 

Alvin Siekert is adorable!

Come see us at Good Old Days in PG this weekend!

Al is very proud of the level of food we serve. This isn’t a meal from a can. We serve real food to really wonderful people. The proof is in all the natural colors :)

Today’s Meal: Al’s Fish Cakes served with Laurie’s homemade tartar sauce; Laurie’s homemade baked sour dough rye bread; pita chips served with BBQ hummus; Doreen’s Community Garden Salad with her balsamic vinaigrette dressing and/or ranch dressing; Whipped Cream with a blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and bananas dessert; Lily’s homemade s’mores.

“Table 3” Items: Hillary’s Hard-Boiled Eggs and Lentil Soup; Stevenson Schools Turkey or Ham with sandwiches; Mandarins; miscellaneous chips Lotions

The AL & FRIENDS Coffee Station: Acme Coffee with condiments; Orange Juice; Water.

Approximate Number of Coffees/Juices: Served 2 Cambro’s of coffee; ½ gal of Orange Juice.

Approximate Number of Meals: 110

Volunteers: 21

Hey! AL & Friends is featured at the West End Celebration this year! Thanks for the extra exposure!

We love 🤍 A special thank you!

Can’t beat a sunny Sunday, but you can beat records. 138 meals went out to our community at Al’s this week!

Meal: Chef Hyson’s Asian Noodle Stir Fry (mixed with chicken, steak, vegies, garlic, ginger, spices); Asian Salad with iceberg and romaine lettuce, carrots, radishes, green onions, celery, orange slices, peanuts, cashews and pecans and accompanied with Chef Hyson’s Asian Dressing; Asparagus topped with Hollandaise sauce; Laurie’s homemade sour dough rye; Lily’s Mango Crumble Bars.

“Table 3” Items: Hillary’s Hard-Boiled Eggs and Lentil Soup; Bananas; Chocolate Chip Cookies by Peggy and Stacy; Athletes That Care PB&Js; Bozena’s Chicken, Kale and Bean Soup

The AL & FRIENDS Coffee Station: Acme Coffee with condiments; Orange Juice; Water.

Approximate Number of Coffees/Juices: Served 2 Cambros of coffee; plus Orange Juice and Mango Orange Juice.

Approximate Number of Meals: 138 (another record number of meals)

Volunteers: 22




 


 



 
 

March

Coleen
Teacher - Learning Challenges
The customer I meet are inspiring grateful warm.
9 months about a year



 


 



 
 

Brian Bajari, a longtime pastor who was well-known for his work in bringing worship services to the homeless and volunteering for numerous groups, died suddenly of an unspecified health condition on Monday, Feb. 26. The Carmel resident was 52.

Bajari served as a pastor at Carmel Presbyterian Church for more than 10 years, and was the CEO and co-founder of the Spero Challenge, which is a community service nonprofit led by youth.

He was also the development director for Set Free Monterey Bay, an organization that provides services to women who are victims of s*x trafficking.

A full-service officiant, Bajari also performed over 400 weddings throughout the Monterey and San Francisco bay areas.

Bajari graduated from Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., with a degree in English literature. He also earned a graduate certificate in leadership development from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology.

He was instrumental in founding Church on the Beach, where for seven years he hosted church services on Del Monte Beach.

It was these services that inspired retired chef Al Siekert to found Al & Friends, where he and volunteers serve meals at the beach every Sunday for the homeless.

“I noticed people would bring stale donuts and old coffee,” he says. “I said, ‘you know, I’m a retired chef. I know these people need nutrition.’”

What started off feeding 25 people a week more than a decade ago has now grown to 125 people.

“It’s all because of Brian,” Siekert says. “I wouldn’t have had the epiphany to do it had it not been for Brian. It’s been amazing to me how much influence that little movement was to me in my life.”

Siekert added that he recalls Bajari telling him that there are plenty of ministries inside a building, yet there were very few or none who were bringing the sermons outside to where the homeless reside.

“The world is a better place because he was alive,” Siekert says.

Article by: Erik Chalhoub
Photo by: Nic Coury



 


 



 
 

Happy Sunday! Nothing brightens my week like spending it with Al & Friends. I say that from the heart. You’d be hard pressed to find a group more dedicated to serving up something good and enjoying being around each other each week.

Today’s Meal:
Hot Dogs on fresh Palermo Rolls
Al’s Baked Beans
The Grove Market’s Sliced Ham on a Pineapple Glaze
Grove Market Green Salad
Laurie’s Sauerkraut
Heidi’s Homemade German Potato Salad with Onions and Bacon
Condiments included Mustards (regular and spicy)
Catsup
Chopped Onions
Pickled Relish
Hot Sauce
Hummus
Lily’s homemade Cream Cheese Brownies

“Table 3” Items:
Hillary’s Hard-Boiled Eggs and Lentil Soup
Bozena’s Chicken Soup with Beans and Kale
Ham and/or Turkey & cheeses sandwiches
Bananas
Soaps
Feminine Products.

The AL & FRIENDS Coffee Station: Acme Coffee with condiments; Orange Juice and/or Orange Peach Mango Juice; Water.

Meals Served: 119
Volunteers: 24

Special thanks to:
for the ham and salad 🤍photography_02 for bringing a real camera to the party!



 


 



 
 

 

Brian was a big inspiration to AL and his vision to start up what became "Al & Friends."

Homeless advocate, former beach church pastor Brian Bajari dies at 52. Brian Bajari, a longtime pastor who was well-known for his work in bringing worship services to the homeless and volunteering for numerous groups, died suddenly of an unspecified health condition

Sunday 02/11/24

Volunteer Spotlight - January
Meet Erica!
Ceramic Artist (43)
6 years with .friends
Her favorite part of working here is the community and the connections I’ve made with the amazing guests and other volunteers.

Al & Friends took their first bite out of December 2023 this past Sunday.
Our Menu included: Pork Chops with Potatoes & Onions. Jen’s Green Salad (included Cooked Squash, Peas, Lima Beans, Carrots + Laurie’s Croutons. Dressing was Chicken and Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette. Laurie’s Home-Made Sour Dough Rye or Oatmeal Baked Bread. Lily’s Strawberry Shortcake + Whipped Cream and fantastic take away snacks at table three.

21 volunteers served 106 meals! A huge thanks to our support!
 


 



 
 

.friends

Al (sitting in the van under a red Santa blanket!) was well received at the PG parade tonight!

Good morning, friends. We’d like to highlight two amazing volunteers, Tom and Laurie. Both Tom and Laurie show up almost every Sunday morning for our brunch service, but it’s their behind-the-scenes support that is truly appreciated. They spent most of last night cooking chicken and stuffing for today’s meal. They also help plan, organize, and clean. And although we don’t have pics of them today, they are valued and appreciated beyond measure. Thank you Laurie & Tom.

Al & Friends will not be serving a meal Thanksgiving, (Unless AL is doing something and not telling me.) This is because our volunteers deserve to be with their family on this day...there is a wonderful group putting together a feast at 1:00 near the skatepark at lake El Estero.

The Al & Friends Holiday Shoe Tree Drive continues. Join us Saturday November 18 from 1:00-5:00pm at Chautauqua Hall at 16th and Central in Pacific Grove. We are accepting cash donations to provide quality footwear for those in need.

Did you know? MONTEREY COUNTY GIVES! is on! This is the biggest yearly fundraiser for Al & Friends, (5th year.) It's a wonderful way to make your tax deductible charitable donation go farther because a % gets matched! Check out the MCGives page here: mcgives.com/al

TODAY IS DAY ONE! Monterey County Gives! kicks off today! This is the best way to make your yearly tax deductible charitable donation because at the end of the year, a match will be added to the grand total of donated funds. Thanks MCGIVES! for having us on board for the 5th year! And thank you donors for helping us break records every time...let's do it again!

Al & Friends Sunday Breakfast Headed by Chef Alvin Siekert, the Mission of Al & Friends is to lift up members of the community who suffer from the most pressing challenges: hunger, homelessness, and poverty. Our organization thrives because we are an effective social service provider, a consistent presence, and a growing local n...

THIS IS TODAY! (Thanks Peppers, see you for dinner!)