Archive: Around Town

While some officials in Washington say the economic crisis is over, families in Lansing know otherwise.  Lansing Food Pantry director Nancy Myers says that 80 families are using the food pantry, a dramatic rise from a few years ago.  Anna Brewer decided that she and fellow members of Grace Baptist Church could do something more to help provide relief to these families.  The church will host a free monthly Thursday dinner starting next Thursday (January 21st).

"The dinner is planned each month for the Thursday prior to the Monday food pantry," she says.  "It is the latest point after the last food pantry, and before payday for most people.  It's a good opportunity to have a family meal that you don't have to pay for."

Dinners will be planned that are easy for church volunteers to prepare ahead of time.  This month's dinner will feature chili and hot dogs.  Future dinners will feature meals like macaroni & cheese that are also easy to prepare.  Church volunteers will help set up and take down the dinner, and ladle the food onto plates.  Brewer says there won't be a religious element, although informational pamphlets and Bibles are available for families that want them.  But the focus is simple providing a solid family mean.

"It will always be a dinner that people can prepare in a crock pot so that it's easy to give out," she says.  "This time it's chili and hotdogs.  We'll cook the hotdogs there and people will bring chili in crock pots that we'll set up for the day.  People will make tossed salad just before the dinner.  Cookies will be made ahead of time."

While anyone will be welcomed Brewer says that the dinner is especially targeted at Lansing families.  She got the idea when she learned how many Lansing families have been hit by the floundering economy.

"I feel badly that there are people right here that can't eat," she says.  "We send money for 'compassion children,' and we have missions, but we have a lot of need right here.  For years we've had kids bring food for the food pantry during Vacation Bible School, because it is something they can do right here and see that you don't have to go away to be a missionary.  You can do kind things in the community and take on community responsibility.  The dinner is a growth of that ministry and a desire to help people who need it."

Volunteers from the church will attend the food pantry to get the word out about the dinners.  Brewer says she hopes people will come, and then come again.

Next Thursday's dinner will be held from 5:30 to 7pm.  Next month it will be held on February 18th .

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