I’ve known about Faith Kitchen for years, but only as a line item on the church’s annual budget and as those folks who need A LOT of coffee. This all changed early last month when I joined Pastor Mark and five other members of Zion to make and serve lunch to those who depend on Faith Kitchen for what could well be their only hot meal of the day. Faith Kitchen is connected to Trinity Lutheran Church in Dover and sits, literally, right on the Rockaway River. The surrounding neighborhood is a far cry from the Village of Oldwick but it was clear from the moment we pulled up with our trunk full of groceries, that this is a very special place.
We were met by Trink Schwartz, Director of Faith Kitchen, and as we lugged bags of canned beans, sausages, bread, vegetables, and fruit up the stairs, she outlined the job that lay ahead. We had a little over 2 hours to prepare lunch for about 100 people. Piece of cake!! Pastor had it all figured out. On the menu for the day was sausage and white bean soup with rice, green salad, fruit, bread, and an assortment of pastries (oh yes, and lots of coffee). We all quickly divided up the tasks and went to work. There were cans and cans of beans to open (with a manual can opener) and mash, pounds of Italian sausage to boil, slice, and fry, bags of onions and carrots to chop, and the largest pot of rice I’ve ever seen to make. We set the tables, mixed up the salad, set out the pastries, brewed the coffee and were set and ready to go when the doors opened at 11:30.
I am not entirely sure what I expected regarding the community that gathered for lunch, probably a stereotype from an old movie, but I was quite surprised by who showed up. They were mostly men, young and old, clean and a little less clean, of various races, and speaking different languages. And I purposely use the word “community” to describe them. It was clear that this really was a community. People greeted each other as friends. The younger folk helped serve the older folk and those who were less able to serve themselves. There was a lot of chatter and laughter as well as some serious and sad faces. But from pretty much each and every person there, we received a smile and a “Thank You.” They LOVED the soup (it was a cold, damp day) but were less sure of the chocolate walnut biscotti that had been donated by another church; we all thought the biscotti was the best!! One of the rules at Faith Kitchen is that everyone is served before seconds are given. To ensure this, we couldn’t serve seconds until 12:30 and at about 12:20, the line for seconds started forming. In total were served 77 folks, probably most of them twice and more than a few three times. We had only a small pot of soup left, which Trink saved for the next day (the day we were expecting several inches of snow).
The old cliché of “you get more than you give” is truer than you may think. We had a great morning serving God’s children. What I took away from the experience is that all people are people regardless of their situation. We are all part of the same humanity; and all, regardless of where we find ourselves, need each other. As a church, Zion is looking to make and serve lunch at Faith Kitchen the first Thursday of every month through (and hopefully beyond) 2013. Please consider being a part of this ministry and joining your brothers and sisters in Christ to make a difference in the Faith Kitchen community. If you would be able to help - and by help we mean give of your time, heart, and hands - please talk to Pastor Summer or someone from Social Ministry. All are welcome and all are needed.
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