It doesn’t take an army to feed one.
Eleven volunteers recently came together to make a hot meal for serving at Hope Rescue Mission of Reading. This organization offers services to homeless men of Berks County.
The volunteers, most of which are members of St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Douglassville, included Bonnie and Joel Steever, Bob Yanos, Fred Gaskins, Debbie Herb, Carolyn from Thrivent Financial, Helen Strain, Mary Graefe, June Geiger, Jane Kinder, and Betty Clark.
The group arrived at Hope Rescue Mission around 3:45 p.m. While they have taken part in other volunteer projects, this is the first dinner they’ve put together. The meal was served at 6:30 p.m. and fed about 90 men.
“The men usually come to the Mission between 4 and 6 p.m.. At 6 p.m. they go into the sanctuary to hear a sermon. At 6:30 they eat. Especially during ‘Code Blue’ the men sleep at the Mission,” said volunteer Betty Clark. “The Mission provides a safe place to stay.”
This group wanted to show it doesn’t take a huge team or organization to provide a good meal for those in need.
“A small, dedicated group can do it,” said Clark.
“We hope other groups will jump in, grab the ball, and run with it. Although we had eleven people, we could have done it with a few less.”
They hope to inspire other small groups to step up and make arrangements to provide a meal at Hope Rescue or other places like it.
“We found the residents to be very polite, helpful and very appreciative for their meal. We asked what they’d like us to make the next time. They said, ‘Anything!’ When asked to be more specific, they replied: shepherd’s pie, lasagna, or meat loaf and mashed potatoes. We’ll try are best to not disappoint them.”
The group plans to host another meal in the springtime.
“We all felt so gratified to have met these wonderful men and to have shared a little time with them. We all went home feeling we had been blessed and are anxious to serve them and God again! Jesus said, ‘In as much as you have done this (helped) unto one of the least of these, you have done it unto me.’ We try,” said Clark. “Many more miles to go before we sleep.”
