NEW ORLEANS — Sitting on the corner of Washington Avenue is Bethlehem Lutheran Church. For years they have been feeding those in their community hot meals and are a part of the NOLA Community Fridges network, which stores leftovers for those who walk by to grab if they need it.
"So we stay out here and serve until our meals are gone," said Rev. Denise Graves. "We get to know people that come through here. If they don't come through here, we look for them."
Graves said the intention is to let people see the love of God every day and in our lives, "These lives matter to us," she said.
The church started the effort in April 2020 during COVID, they called it the "Community Table to Go".
"The meals are packed in bags and served out front so that people could just walk up and take home what they needed," said Philip Diaz, Community Resilience Coordinator.
Bethlehem Lutheran Church serves between 500-600 meals a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at noon.
They also host a community fridge that sits in front of the church. It's been there for three years now.
"It provides us a place to put donated items, any leftovers we have from our regular meal service during the week. It's accessible 24 hours a day to anyone who needs something to eat," Diaz said.
On Mondays, Molly's Rise and Shine restaurant cooks and prepares food for the church to serve. Wednesday's lunch is provided by a group of neighbors or community fridge cooks, organized by Sheri Myers.
"They have self-organized into this collective that cooks casseroles and gives it to us for our Wednesday lunch," he said.
The community fridges are a mutual aid effort and no one is in charge of them, anybody can contribute.
"Anyone who has donations, especially if you are a catering company or if you work events where there are a lot of leftovers of cooked food, contact us," Diaz encouraged. "We can help pack it up and put it in the fridge for you."
If you would like to volunteer or donate visit Community Table at Bethlehem Lutheran Church.
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