Fostering fellowship with food
Kathy Joseph has delivered Christmas lunches to UAB Hospital for close to 30 years, and this year she worked to bring that giving spirit closer to home.
Joseph, a Chelsea resident and member of Lester’s Chapel United Methodist Church in Columbiana, is one of the church members who helped kick off the Chelsea Community Food Table, a ministry that helps provide groceries to members of the community with food insecurity.
“It was something that had just been on my mind for a while, but [Pastor] Melissa [Patrick] and other ladies in the church were the ones who helped get it off the ground,” Joseph said.
While the church is in Columbiana, members chose to name the ministry the Chelsea Community Food Table as a way to welcome individuals from both Columbiana and Chelsea, as well as other surrounding communities. They also wanted the name to represent the importance of mealtime in Christianity, said Lester’s Chapel pastor Melissa Patrick.
“We wanted it to be, instead of a food pantry, which would be a common name, ‘table’ was really important to us because Jesus broke bread with people around the table frequently,” she said. “The early church table fellowship was a key part of Christian living.”
Joseph said she hopes guests will see there are people who want to see them succeed and want to help when they visit the food table.
“I really hope that it lets them know someone cares about them, that that’s what God put us here on this Earth for,” she said. “It lets people know there is somebody out there that does care.”
The food table is held once a month, when community members can stop by to pick up a bag of groceries. The bags include a combination of cooking items such as baking powder or soda, flour, sugar and other ingredients as well as nonperishables and pantry staples such as rice, peas, cereal, crackers, peanut butter, soups and canned vegetables.
“Sometimes we’re able to supplement with potatoes and apples and some fruits and vegetables that have a longer shelf life,” Patrick said.
One goal for the food table is to make the process as uncomplicated as possible, and the church does not require any form of identification or proof of need for individuals picking up groceries. All they ask for is an address or phone number, Patrick said, so they can be notified of any time changes.
There is also no need to be a member of Lester’s Chapel or a church at all, she said.
“We do offer some inspiration, and I’m happy to pray with people if they want prayer, but none of that is ever required,” Patrick said. “We want people to feel welcome regardless of their background or regardless of their faith or denomination.”
Lester’s Chapel has a small congregation with less than 100 members, and Patrick said at this time, 20 bags is about all they can sustain. In addition to the bags of food, however, the church is hosting a free fellowship supper the night of the Chelsea Community Food Table. The meal is prepared by professionally trained chef and church member Julie Fusco, and food table guests are welcome to stay for the meal.
“There’s no need to make a reservation; they just show up and we always have plenty,” Patrick said.
Through working in social service and ministry for 30 years, Patrick said she has seen families struggle to ask for help. By offering the food table once a month, she said she hopes people will feel welcome and are able to get what they need.
“We’re a small church with a big heart for ministry and wanting to share from the bounty that God has given us, so we hope that people will not be the least bit inhibited to come and receive food if they need it,” she said.
Chelsea Community Food Table is the third Wednesday of every month, from 3 to 5 p.m. A fellowship dinner follows at 5:15 p.m. Lester’s Chapel UMC is at 7800 Chelsea Road in Columbiana. Anyone interested in making a food or monetary donation can set up a drop-off time by calling the church at 678-6259.