Get a free meal Sunday
By Ken Leiviska
Times-Press
REEDSBURG — Reedsburg area residents will have the opportunity to take part in a free community meal thanks to a little inspiration sparked in Sue Johnson's kitchen in early spring.
St. John Lutheran Church, 307 6th St. in Reedsburg, will play host to a series of free meals called the Open Table Community Meal that kicks off this Sunday, June 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. The picnic-style meal consisting of brats, hotdogs, chips and beans will be held in the climate-controlled basement.
"And after this meal, we're going to pay more attention to nutrition," Marsha Swenson, a pastor at St. John's, said. The meals are scheduled to take place on the fourth Sunday of every month.
Johnson said the inspiration for a community meal in Reedsburg got started because of a book she had read, coupled with the preparation of soup for some church staff.
"In my mind I wasn't thinking just a soup kitchen," Johnson said, "I was thinking of having a whole community meal... where you can build connections."
Johnson said building strong community bonds can mean all the world when times are tough. She said now is a great time to strengthen those bonds because there haven't been tougher times in a long time.
After attending community meals in Mauston and Baraboo, Johnson knew it could be done in Reedsburg. "My husband and I thought 'we can do this,'" she said.
Because meals-on-wheels runs during the week and Saturdays are popular wedding days at churches, Sunday emerged as the most logical day to hold the community meal, Swenson reasoned. Although a prayer will be said, she said residents will not be pressured to join a church.
"We don't get anything out of it other than to provide a place for people to get together," Swenson said. "That's the heart of the community — people helping other people out."
Because local churches aren't able to provide the free meals all on their own, they'll be receiving some help through sponsorships of local businesses. The first meal is being sponsored by Johnson and Son Weatherization, with several more sponsors lined up through the summer.
Organizations interested in sponsoring the meal, or citizens who are looking for a good volunteer opportunity, should contact the meal's core volunteers, Sue Johnson at 524-2880 or Bunny Frank at 985-7455. They expect total meal costs to be about $350 the first few times, Frank wrote in an e-mail, adding they are preparing for 100 to 150 people to attend. "With some good public relations and word of mouth, it will grow," Frank added.
Sponsors can donate money, volunteers, or a combination of the two, to the community meals, Frank wrote. The core group of volunteers, who take care of all the behind-the-scenes aspects of the meal, are also capable of finding additional volunteers through various church groups, she said.
After witnessing the positive impact and community involvement of similar meals during her time in Watertown, Swenson is optimistic this is the start of something that will thrive in Reedsburg.
"I have a feeling that this will be here to stay," she said.