For the past fourteen years, the Full Ladle Soup Kitchen has been a rich and rewarding ministry for many at Christ Church.   Every Wednesday, the Soup Kitchen serves a nutritious noon meal to 65-85 guests from our community.

We are blessed by the very generous offering of area businesses and parishioners that donate soups, bread, coffee, and vegetables.  A group of faithful volunteers gather each Wednesday  and have a very good time working together in the kitchen and serving our guests. There is much laughter and comaraderie, both in the kitchen and around the tables. For all of us, the pleasure comes from getting to know the members of the community who come each week and enjoying a meal with them.

On a typical Wednesday,  Lloyd Moyer arrives first to start the coffee and begin setting up for lunch.  Ruth Prey arrives soon after to set tables and arrange platters. Susan Reid and Steamer and Judy Walke come mid morning to command  the salad spinner, heat the soups and pitch in with whatever needs doing.  Susan, the former owner of Susan’s Kitchen, is a wiz in the kitchen and has been called on to make a soup (as in “stone soup”) for lunch at the last minute. From time to time, she throws off her apron and picks up her fiddle to provide the entertainment.

About 11:00, the lunch service begins and more volunteers pitch in.   Paige McIntyre and her two children, Madeline and Thomas arrive.  Paige provides the Soup Kitchen with wonderful homemade goodies and is tireless in helping to serve and clean up. Madeline and Tom, Soup Kitchen veterans, help in numerous ways.

Two elders of the Mormon Church arrive about the same time and are responsible for serving the Soup. Often, Ida Lange stops by.  Her cooking prowess and organizational skills are formidable and most welcome.  As dirty plates arrive,  Ed Skea, our dedicated and efficient dishwasher steps up to his command post at the sink.  We all know to stay out of his way, as he is a veritable white tornado!

Charlotte and Ernest Gibson arrive about noon.  Charlotte clears tables and helps guests find what they need.  Ernest, clearly a crowd favorite, eats lunch and chats with a growing circle of friends, who thoroughly enjoy his company.

The clean up crew consisting of Les Bloomberg, Bill Beard and Gail Kilkelly and anyone else we can grab, drift in later, as their work schedules permit, and provide much needed relief.  By about 1:30, all is done, and peace and quiet returns to the kitchen.

Please consider coming and spending time at the Soup Kitchen.  The work is rewarding and fun, the company fantastic and you get to eat lunch!!!!!

Sharon Wilson             photo by thebittenword