Green Street was started in 2010 ago by a group of friends, comfortable in the kitchen, desiring to use their gifts and abilities to meet a significant need in our community. Initially, the program was modeled after a ministry that had been running for many years through a church in Valdese, NC and the friends really felt that a similar program would benefit this area of the High Country as well.
The economy had just recently taken the downturn and the need for a good warm meal was becoming more and more prevalent.
“Everyone has been hit in this economy,” explains Chastity Lesesne, director and creator of Green Street Catering. “Our community needs to be taking care of its sweet people and that is the heart behind this.” At the time, they weren’t even sure if any of them had the time to take on such an endeavor, so they started slowly, researching whether or not there was a real need in this community. They talked to local organizations who provided food or other essentials, such as Hospitality House, the Meals on Wheels program, Hunger Coalition and several area churches who had food pantry programs. Not only did they find that the need was real, but they were also able to coordinate with those organizations to make sure that they could most effectively use their resources and time to meet that need. ” “We live in a community that loves its people and wants to make sure they are taken care of well”, says Chastity Lesesne, director of Green Street Catering. “We love being a part of that! It is a beautiful thing that each of us offers different things and works together to serve the people of Watauga, Ashe and Avery Counties with all of our different offerings”. Marianne Romanat, pastor of Faithbridge United Methodist Church of Blowing Rock says, “Green Street Catering has gone above and beyond, to the level of God’s generosity, time and again to provide for our community. They have shared any extra they have to support our Casting Bread Food Pantry and that is such a help as we have all felt the pinch of less supply for non-profits serving those in need”. Jeff Hendley, chairman of the Green Street Catering board of directors, says, “It is a rare thing that ordinary people get to make a big difference. Green Street Catering is a group of ordinary people who have decided to ban together to cook a delicious and nutritious meal each week for those in our community who are in need. This simple meal each week is making a big difference. Neighbors helping neighbors.”
After several months of preparation, organizing their team, networking with local businesses and services and committing all of their concerns and needs to prayer, they served their first meal at Alliance Bible Fellowship in October of 2011. That night they served 40 meals. Their original plan was for either dine-in or carry out. The volunteers made sure that all of the tables were set and decorated and that the food was well presented. It continues to be important that the atmosphere feels warm and inviting. The ministry has a strong aversion to the idea that Green Street is “a soup kitchen” or “a hand out”. This is a place where anyone can come, regardless of need, to share a good meal with other people. It is a catering company that provides a meal free once per week on Thursday evenings. So, anyone that can benefit from it is invited and welcomed each and every Thursday out of the cafeteria at Alliance Bible Fellowship church building on Highway 105 bypass from 3:30 to 6 pm. As the weeks went by, more people began coming to the Thursday night meal, but the volunteers began to see that an even greater need was being met through carry-out. Those people that would come would often take 3,4, even 10 meals to go and deliver them to people near them who they knew had a need. Perhaps they were a neighbor, just home from the hospital, or a grandparent who was homebound, or a young couple just home with a newborn baby. The need for the meal wasn’t always financial. The people who had started by coming and eating the meals at the church, were able to actually participate in the ministry by taking food with them and delivering it to others. It was exciting to see what the small vision that the Lord gave to these friends begin to blossom and flourish into something serving far more people than could ever sit down and eat in the Alliance Bible Fellowship cafeteria. Their budget is only made up from donations from individuals as well as local grants from Boone Service League and Walmart corporations. However, they truly are blessed and thankful for the generosity of our local grocery stores and businesses such as Food Lion, Walmart, Stick Boy Bread Company, Wendy’s, Dan’l Boone Inn, Hollar and Greene Produce. It is the great relationships and donations of food from these local businesses that allow this non-profit to serve 400-500 meals each week on a shoestring budget. In fact, it costs around $4.00 total for each meal. So, a donation of $150 provides over 35 meals that serves people in this community. Lisa Shellman of Dan’l Boone Inn says, “It was amazing for me to see how tirelessly they all work and how well they all work together. The food is yummy and I am surprised at how fresh everything is. We feel good about donating to Green Street Catering as we know that they are meeting a need in our community. We are impressed with how well they utilize all their donations and don’t let anything go to waste. They really make something special out of little. They really are the hands and feet of Jesus Christ.”
As time continued to pass, groups from area churches, ministries and even government programs, began to utilize the food provided by Green Street to serve people who they were already working with. Green Street Catering really thrives on working with any and everyone that wants to serve our community. John Whittington of Boone United Methodist Church says, “My wife and I actually talk about Green Street a lot. We are amazed at their generosity, their desire to serve this community and their willingness to work with anybody and everybody.”
This unity with other individuals, organizations or churches allows those to focus on their core competencies as organizations, allowing Green Street to provide them with a free tool that they can use to bring people together. They serve meals at Laurel Springs Baptist Church, First Baptist Church of Blowing Rock, Boone United Methodist Church as well as the Boone Mennonite Church. They work with Hospitality House as well as social services for our county as well as in our schools. As more and more groups have become involved, Green Street often servers more than 500 meals each week. They have served more than 25,000 meals since they first started in 2011. Laurel Springs Baptist Church feeds over 100 meals that Green Street Catering provides every other Thursday with their “Food for the Soul” program. Pastor Brent Bolick says, “God is using Green Street Catering to meet physical and spiritual needs in our community. Their dedication to serve has inspired Laurel Spring Baptist Church to do likewise and we are thankful to be a part of what God is doing through this ministry.”
In addition to the consistent, weekly meals, Green Street also provides Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets throughout our community. This year they plan to distribute more than 1000 such baskets which will contain enough food to provide a substantial meal for even a large family during the holidays. These will be distributed through local churches, individuals and organizations such as Children’s Council and even home healthcare provided by our local hospital as well as social workers within our school system.
