Community Meals celebrates second year with help of local churches

Community Meals celebrated serving its 2nd Anniversary dinner on Monday, September 16, In partnership with Family Pathways, what started out as a hope or wish for the community two years ago has flourished into something more than imagined. Volunteers have served 4,288 meals this year (as of the end of August) in the Monday night meal program, open to all the public between 4 and 6 p.m. at Zion Church in Chisago City. Plus 103 meals have been made as take out. For the anniversary serving there was an amazing turnout at 182 meals.

A big thank you to Village Inn in Wyoming and Swedish Inn in Lindstrom for donation of all the yummy pies. Not only did diners have the special treat of pies but also drawings for Chisago Lakes Football savings cards and Kwik Trip cards along with goodie bags for all the guests made by Chisago Lake Evangelical Lutheran Church. Organizers of the Community Meal also want to thank Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church for hosting the meals and thank the following churches involved in the meals: Chisago Lake Evangelical Lutheran, First United Methodist Church, Trinity Lutheran Church without whom the Monday meal wouldn’t be possible. As volunteers look back on the meals and all the wonderful people that have been guests we think how blessed we are to have met our community neighbors.

Relationships have been built, networking takes place as guests help each other with projects or employment opportunities, smiles are seen on grateful faces, and a precious thank you can be heard from a little child. We have also been blessed this year with all the giving volunteers that help make this dinner possible; long with all the donations of lemonade, butter, bars, Girl Scout cookies, soup, milk and the list goes on. People have also made cash donations in the form of checks made to Family Pathways and marked for Community Meals. We thank everyone who has been a part of our community’s success. There is a song called “One Drop” that really helps us explain the meaning behind Our Community Meals.

Here are just a few verses: Just one drop of your love,A single ray of sun,Just one thing to change the world!It's just you and me starting with a dream,And giving all you've got,Only takes one drop! I need you and you need me,We can do anything together! That’s what we have here neighbors helping neighbors with one drop of love, one smile, one dinner, and one lended hand at a time. Thank you again to everyone that has helped out with Community Meals these last two past years.