COMMUNITY CAFÉ

A hot Dinner is served at 5:30 p.m. in Swigart Fellowship Hall on Thursday nights to those experiencing hard times.

To learn more about how you can volunteer for this very effective outreach program, email Ken directly at bruza1@ispmgt.com or contact the Church Office.

Community Café

Community Café, now approaching its 21st year, continues to be one of the premier outreach ministries of our Church. Fellowship, as well as a hot, nutritious meal, is part of the experience of Café. Participants have also said, “It is a safe place.” Café is held every Thursday except Thanksgiving and Maundy Thursday, when there are other meal opportunities here at First Pres.

A hard-working, dedicated group of “regulars” provides the nucleus of an all-volunteer staff, consisting of both First Pres members and the people from the community at large. Again this year, several programs continue to give this regular staff some relief from having to be present every week. Alma College is providing a College night eight times a year, through which students give up a meal, resulting in that meal being provided at Community Café and catered by Sodexo and served by various groups of Alma College students. This has been a tremendous success, and is a valuable program, both for us and for the College.

Food contributions have been overwhelming, with large food drives being held by the hospital, St. Louis prisons, and many groups and classes from Alma College and Alma Public Schools, to name a few. In addition, Alma Public Schools Food Service Program, the Alma Farmers’ Market, and the Mount Pleasant soup kitchen have shared their bounty with Community Café on many occasions. In addition, cash contributions continue to increase, bearing testimony to the community’s belief in and support of this project, and allowing it to continue to operate in the black for the past several years.

Regular volunteer help comes from many sources, including surrounding churches, student groups from local high schools and the college, as well as providing a source for community service requirement fulfillment. Karen Stearns, our lead cook, is certified as a “person in charge” by the Health Department. We thank her, and all of our other volunteers for their dedication to our program. We are extremely grateful to all who make this program a great success.

—Roger Allman, Coordinator