When Melody Thomason and members of the First Presbyterian Church of Cleveland saw a need for food in their community, they came together to meet their community where they were… with a free hot lunch.
“With the pandemic and everything going on, we wanted to do something,” Thomason says, “And this was something that we could do, and it seemed like everything came together to do it.”
The church, located on Main Street in Cleveland, decided that their centralized location and willingness to serve could benefit the community. Thomason tells Now Habersham that White County doesn’t have the free food resources it needs to support citizens looking for a meal, so the church organized a program that provides a free hot lunch to anyone who needs it on the first Monday of each month.
“Somebody said, ‘how are you going to make sure it’s people that need to be there?’ And we said from the start, anybody that comes is fine,” Thomason says. “If people just need to go somewhere to eat with somebody, that’s fine too. We’re just hoping to give somebody a meal and a good word.”
The church’s goal is to provide food and support to those in their community, no matter their stories. While it’s easier for congregations to support those they see on a weekly basis, Thomason says that reaching out to those in the community with need is just as important as serving those they already know. This hot meal program is their first step in building a relationship where they can serve their community in the spaces they need it.
“We’re looking to fill a need and then build relationships with people and just do what we can do,” Thomason says.
Thomason is hopeful that in the next few months, as COVID-19 precautions lift, the church will be ready to open its doors to the public and have lunch inside rather than offering to-go bags and sharing meals at picnic tables near the church’s parking lot. But for now, those outdoor conversations are the beginnings of a new way for the church to serve others.
The church will offer its next free hot lunch on August 2 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the First Presbyterian Church of Cleveland’s parking lot.
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