In-person dining returns Friday at Oak Ridge Unitarian church - first time since pandemic
This Friday afternoon, Sept. 29, at 5:30 p.m., Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church opens its doors to the community for its free Friday meal. A generous community donor from Oak Ridge is making this month’s meal -delicious hot barbecue, potato salad, baked beans, and coleslaw - enough to serve 150 people. There will also be fresh fruit and cake - birthday cake to celebrate 13 years of this free community meal. All are welcome!
Diners can park and come inside the Social Hall to enjoy a meal with others, or walk in to pick up a takeout meal for themselves or family members, a neighbor, or friend. Meals will be available from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, or until supplies run out. Bags of non-perishable groceries will also be available.
Stone Soup served the first meal in September 2010 and has continued monthly since then, never missing a meal, Stone Soup Team Leader Jen Stark said recently. The original concept of a hearty soup, bread and fruit (and later a cookie) has remained the format of most Stone Soup meals. During the summer months, the meals shift to a hearty pasta or potato salad. With only a couple of exceptions, brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, meals were homemade, Stark said. Soups and salads are made in the ORUUC kitchen, cookies and breads are made by home cooks and brought in. Kroger Marketplace in Oak Ridge donates fresh fruit to round out the meals. Financial donations from the ORUUC congregation, the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge, and the community provide the primary financial support.
This ministry is important to Stark, who began volunteering with Stone Soup in 2018, because of the people it helps.
“We provide a meal for those who are food insecure, those who needed social interaction, and those who just don’t want to cook the last Friday of the month. In Anderson County alone, there are 10,580 persons who are considered food insecure. That’s 13.8% of the county residents (feedingamerica.org, 2021),” she said. “And having been there, I know that a meal makes a difference. It made a bigger difference to me to know that I was seen, valued, and loved by a community who wants to help.”
Guests regularly express their appreciation for the meals and groceries Stone Soup is able to provide each month, Stark said. “An extra meal for everyone is one less hassle to start the weekend,” she said. “And a bag of groceries helps stretch a food budget just a bit farther.”
It takes a big volunteer team to pull off each Stone Soup meal. Five volunteers bake the sweets, around 10 people participate on the prep and cooking teams, and another 10-12 help serve and distribute meals. The September meal is the first time Stone Soup has offered in-person dining since the beginning of the pandemic.
“One of the things that guests really like about Stone Soup is that when we serve inside, there is a chance to meet and mingle with people,” Stark said. “We provide a dining experience, not just a meal.”
Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike, near traffic light No. 2. All are welcome … always!
Rachel Smith-Jones is a publicist for Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.
This article originally appeared on Oakridger: In-person dining returns Friday at Oak Ridge Unitarian church
