Goal: Feed the hungry
On any Saturday just before 5:30 p.m., the lobby of First Presbyterian Church of McMinnville, OR, begins to fill with a wide variety of people. Church members mingle with the homeless, the elderly, the lonely and the poor. The volunteers have met in the kitchen and prayed before serving another Community Dinner. Community Dinner grew out of congregational concern for the hungry in this town of 33,000 in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. As in other communities, the food bank wasn’t able to meet the needs of everyone. People, especially school aged-children on subsidized school meals, could go an entire weekend without a meal. Saturday night was not covered by other meal programs in town. A team from the church led by Katy Ailstock and Chuck Ruebel visited a community meal in a neighboring town and developed a plan for McMinnville. Rotating shifts totaling more than seventy volunteers from the church and community at large share in this rewarding endeavor. In the words of one volunteer, “The fellowship is the best part of the dinner--not just for the diners, but also for those who serve.” Katy Ailstock agrees, saying, “I think Community Dinner has done as much for church members who serve as for those we’re seeking to serve.” Funds from the presbytery, local grants and individual donors support the program. Typically, the church serves 60-80 guests. By budgeting carefully, they provides salad, entrée and dessert for about $1.50 a person, but the shared love and sense of community as “rivers of living water” refresh the spirits of all involved are priceless.
Project ID: 49Click a photo to see the larger version.
