Newspaper Articles

Neighbors Welcome at Table  

By COLIN ATAGI  

January 24, 2004

Daily Tribune Staff  

Local sponsors have ensured that people who are hungry or looking for good conversation will have at least three more months to enjoy regular free meals in a friendly atmosphere.

The Neighborhood Table provides food to people from 'low-income households on the last two Thursdays of each month at St. John's Episcopal Church,320 Oak St.

"We've had a lot of calls to sponsor meals," director Ginny Steen said. "We're cur­rently sponsored through April and people are calling all the time to volunteer and to inquire if we're going to serve meals. We've had phone calls for carryout, so we're very excited about it, to say the least."

Monica Hass, a head volunteer, was busy Thursday trying to help as many people as she could, but she didn't mind. "I had one lady say if it weren't for this, none of her kids would've been fed tonight," she said. "This is an example of why we're here."

Hass thinks the program is important to Wisconsin Rapids residents and "it's never going to stop." "Not only is there a need to eat, but a need to be a part of the community," she said. The program is in its early stages, and over time,organizers will try to set menus in advance, Hass said.

Currently, meals served depend on the sponsor for the night, Steen said. Some of the sponsors committed to help through April include Wisconsin Rapids Moravian Church, the Riverview Hospital Human Resources Department, Papercity Savings, St. Vincent De Paul Church and Grove Elementary School.  

The First Congregational Church in Wisconsin Rapids sponsored Thursday's dinner. Church members prepared enough scalloped potatoes and ham to serve about 75 people, said Phyllis Custer, a parishioner. By 6 p.m.,there were about 20 people having dinner inside the church and about 30 others carrying out food.

"We're not sure about the weather, but we think it's a service that needs to be provided in this community, and we wanted to get in on it," she said.

The church would like to participate again in the future, but there are other organizations ahead of them, Custer said. "They've gone out to a lot of organizations, and they've had wonderful responses," she said. "There are a lot of other organizations lined up, so I'm not sure if we'll do it for a while."

The sponsors have been choosing to either provide funds and recommend what to serve or to take care of the entire meal, Steen said. In the future, Steen will look into expanding the meals so that they're available every week. "People with public assistance get paid the first of each month, and by the end of the month, they're probably running low on money and food stamps," Steen said. "In order to reach them, we felt the last two Thursdays of the month would be the best place to start." The Rev. Marty Carr, who operates a soup kitchen in Oshkosh, offered to provide supplies for the Neighborhood Table. And the assistance could possibly help the meals occur every Thursday, Steen said. For now, the dinners will continue to be held at St. John's Episcopal Church until it's necessary to relocate. "We see this as only increasing," she said. "If we increase to the point our capacity (grows), we'll have to think of something else. But this looks like it'll be the place."

The human resources department from Riverview Hospital will sponsor next week's dinner, which will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday. Lasagna will be served, Steen said.

You can reach Colin Atagi at 422-6728 or at catagi@wisconsinrapidstribune.com

The Neighborhood Table services the communities of Wisconsin Rapids, Nekoosa, Port Edwards, Wisconsin and surrounding areas