St. Peter’s continues Wednesday meals, adjusted for COVID

It has been said that it takes a village to raise a child. It is also true that it takes a community to help feed those in need of a meal.
For several years St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Kasson has provided meals to area residents every Wednesday evening. Until COVID-19 hit last year the meals were in person at the church and available to anyone in need of a meal as well as those who wanted the companionship of eating with others.
There was no charge and no requirements as to who could come and eat.
Because of COVID the in-person serving came to an end but St. Peter’s did not let the meals end.
Today, the meals are still available but they are not already prepared meals and they must be picked up on a drive-through basis.
“It’s been a group effort,” said church member Pat Dee who is now heading up the project. St. Peter’s, she said, is a small church so a couple of different church members have headed the project.
Volunteers have included Richard Harris, Marie Fuller, Brian Rohrs, Kalena Dudley, Becki Bjergum and Father Jim Zotalis.
In the pre-COVID days, Pat said, parishioners did the organizing, shopping and serving of the meals at the church. Dr. Jessica Fike from the Kasson Clinic came in to do health screenings for everyone who wanted that service and the church worked closely with the recovery community to support those individuals.
After the COVID shutdowns it was obvious a prepared meal could not be served at the church but the ingredients for a meal could be provided and people could pick them up on a drive-up basis.
When Erdman’s in Kasson closed, Pat said, Jon Christensen donated food that they could use and also made a substantial monetary donation. When the store reopened, the church was able to partner with HyVee. The grocery store allows them to take advantage of all their specials, gives discounts on food and they deliver the items to the church.
In the past, Pat said, they had been going to stores locally and in Rochester to get the best deals.
On Wednesdays, 4 to 5:30 p.m., the church members are now distributing a box of food containing breakfast, lunch and dinner items for four people. If there are more than four people in the family, they receive additional items.
Those coming to pick up food, she said, are asked to be masked and remain in their cars.
During the winter months, she said, the food is non-perishable canned goods or frozen foods as opposed to summer months when fresh produce was available.
Also, Father Jim Zotalis has been working with Semcac and the Food Shelf to get bread and pastries to include with the boxes.
When the church was open for in-person meals, Dee said, they also had a pantry that included other necessary items. Now, she said, they have a limited number of “pantry bags” available each week put together by Rob and Anne Felegy.
The need for the program is great in Dodge County, Pat said.
“I don’t know if people are aware of the food insecurity in Dodge County,” she said. Those coming for food include the young, the old, veterans, those laid off by the pandemic and the homeless, she said.
The number of individuals and families now stopping by each week is in the low 30s, she said
There are no requirements or strings attached to getting food, she said.
“We do this because it is out way of expressing and demonstrating our faith,” she said. It’s a tangible thing they can do. It will not change the world, Dee said, but it may change one person’s life.
Providing the meals, she said, is a big responsibility for a very small church.
The partnership with HyVee has been invaluable, she said. and Some other area churches, businesses and the KM Lions club have also helped support the feeding project.
At Christmas the church partnered with the Salvation Army to provide Christmas meals to families and plans are to do the same thing for Easter meals.
Pat added that additional funding from the community the group may be able to increase the number of pantry bags each week. Currently, she said, there are not enough pantry bags for everyone receiving a meal.
Help from anyone in the community is appreciated, she said. To support the program with a contribution, she said, send a check to St. Peter’s, P.O. Box 205, Kasson, MN  55944. Indicate on the memo line it is for the food distribution ministry.