For the 25 years of the Open Door Food Kitchen, members have joined other churches and organizations to feed the hungry of St. Joseph.  Our assigned day is the fourth Tuesday  and we have never failed to provide a nutritious meal to those coming to be fed.

 

Our number served tends to be large because we serve at the end of the month when our diners possibly have fewer dollars to go around. Summertime sees a spike in our numbers because school is out and children come with their parents.

 

While members once prepared our casseroles at home, the cooks now prepare the meal in the new kitchen installed in recent years.  The cooks start about nine stirring, chopping and measuring to get things ready for the ovens. The servers begin dishing up the meal at 11:15 and serve until 1. We can count on serving from 120 to 210 meals .  The older students of Children First sometimes help serve the meal.

 

What do we serve? A delicious dish which includes ground meat, tomatoes, green peppers, noodles, and Worcestershire sauce.  The dish has become a tradition with us and we sometimes enjoy it at church suppers.

 

Like other organizations working in this ministry we provide the lunch free of charge.. For many of the diners, this is the only meal they have for the day. The food kitchen provides not only nourishment for them, but also a chance to visit with others.

 

The General Assembly, the governing body of the Presbyterian Church  has given a grant of $1,000 from the One Great Hour of Sharing fund after application by one of our members for the grant.

Nourishing others whose stomachs need filling is important work for us.