News

Flintville parish volunteers feed the hungry

By Jean Peerenboom

Bob Truax and his parish, Ss. Edward & Isidore in Flintville, take Jesus' command to feed the hungry seriously. They are one of about 75 area groups that serve daily meals at the New Community Shelter, 301 Mather Street, Green Bay.

The Ss. Edward & Isidore volunteers go out of their way to turn the meal into a party. On Feb. 23, a group decorated the hall in a festive Valentine's theme, and made meatloaf, potatoes, gravy and vegetables. Parishioners contributed homemade desserts. There were musicians and servers. About 25 people were on hand that evening.

The shelter serves dinner from 5 to 6 p.m. 365 days a year. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Nearly all the meals are cooked and served by community volunteers, many of them associated with churches. Residents and staff fill in as needed.

The Ss. Edward & Isidore Justice and Human Concerns Committee coordinates the parish's monthly meal.

"The goal of that committee is to get parishioners involved in giving their time, treasure and talent. The reaction to the meal program from the parish has been overwhelming," said Mike Lucas of Suamico. "No one gets more out of the meals than the people serving them. This opportunity has been a blessing for us."

"I feel like this is not just a meal," Truax said. "God has provided food for people to use, through the government commodities program and the generosity of the community. When we do make a meal, we use the shelter's food and we make sure we follow USDA food guidelines. We want to meet their nutritional needs."

Most groups' dinners are not as elaborate as the meals spearheaded by Truax and his wife, Bobbie. Some groups bring in food they prepared or purchased, then serve it; others bring in food, prepare it in the shelter's kitchen and serve. Some groups only cook; some only serve. On any given night, diners may enjoy chili, chicken, casseroles, barbecue beef, soup and sandwiches, pizza, spaghetti, beef stew or hot dogs. Some groups have their specialties; some prepare a different menu each time.

The shelter offers meat - hamburger, turkey, ham or chicken - that comes from donations. Also available to community groups as part of the meal program are canned soups, vegetables and fruits, spaghetti sauce, salmon, bread, butter, pasta, rice, potatoes, pudding and many ingredients for making desserts.

About 140 meals are served each evening. In 2006, the shelter served a record-breaking 77,740 meals - an increase of nearly 7,000 from 2005.

The Community Meal program is available to anyone in the community who comes to the door hungry. People must be sober and peaceful, and everyone is asked to sign in so the number of meals can be counted.

"We have seen a rise in the number of elderly people trying to supplement their income, and we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of children served," said Terri Refsguard, executive director of the shelter.

"We watched our numbers go up last year, and every volunteer group just kept adjusting - no worries, no complaints. They just wanted to make sure they had enough food," she said.

While groups often commit to a regular date, be it once a year or once a month, there are still about 70 open dates for cooks and servers.

Ss. Edward & Isidore's group of 26 is one of the biggest and Truax gave them some tough guidelines, he said.

"We had to find people who could cook," he said. "I asked for a head cook who would plan and prepare the entrée and meal. Along with that, we try to involve as many as five or six assistant cooks. They work noon to 4 p.m. the day of the event."

At 4 p.m. the "food servers and waitstaff come in. This is about 8 to 10 people who are in charge of serving the meal." Most of the meal is served cafeteria-style. Waiters put extra juice, bread and desserts on carts and go through the room. "It gives it a more personal touch," he said.

The parish also brings in musical entertainment and has a decorating committee.

"I was standing by the door as people came in," he said. "I looked at the front table where a man and woman from the community were seated. She was having such a great time. She looked so happy. One thing that really got to her was the confetti on the table. She was scraping it up and putting it in her purse. The man next to her asked why and she said, 'because it makes me happy.'"

At the end of the evening, parishioners cut apart the balloon bouquets and gave them to the children, he said.

"In your heart, it made you feel you were doing the right thing," Truax said of his first meal experience with Ss. Edward & Isidore Parish.

(Peerenboom is the volunteer coordinator at New Community Shelter. She can be reached at (920)437-3766, ext. 111.)