10/30/2025
Community Suppers turned eight last night! Eight years ago, we listened to God to start the community suppers. It was a leap of faith, and we enjoyed serving the community, but with a heavy heart, yesterday we voted that Tuesday, December 23rd will be the last meal 4 Kids and Community will serve.
When we started the suppers, Perkins did not have a free community meal. We saw the need, so we voted to serve a free meal the 4th Tuesday-the longest week of the month, since the local food bank distributed food the 1st and 3rd weeks of the month. With Matthew 25: 31-46 as our guide, we set up the community supper.
We looked into government grants for the food, but we did not like the limitations and the data collection requirements; we wanted to have the freedom to make decisions based on our community. We also wanted to open the meals to anyone regardless of need; we welcomed all to our table. Above all else, as Christ followers it is our duty to feed Godās people not to abdicate our responsibility to the government, so we went about setting up an amazing network to feed the community. We had farmers donate beef, pig producers donate pork, 4-H kids donate their show projects, local churches donating food/money, grants from local organizations, we ordered our needed food from local businesses further supporting the community, and so much more. It took a village to serve our village.
Another difference is we wanted to serve together not with a specific church or organization signing up for a monthās duty; we wanted all serving together. It was not uncommon for nine different churches to be serving alongside one another along with FCCLA HS students, 4-H, Midnight Regiment and other organizations. We learned how to be hands and feet of Christ with one another! It was amazing serving together.
A few memories of 8 years of Community Suppers:
Our first meal was board members providing crock pots of soup!
Covid came and we continued to serve meals! We never missed a meal!
October 2020 ice storm took down power lines at Oak Park; we served the meal at Perkins Church of Christ.
When we ran out of food; we went to our back-up plans!
Tornado warning, we still served.
When Community Supper was on Christmas Eve, we served, had a church service with a local pastor proclaiming Jesusā birth, and Santa stopped by.
We carved 40 turkeys with 20 volunteers.
We created meals out of leftovers with potato cakes being our favorite. We had volunteers who made up extra mash potatoes just so we could have potato cakes the next month.
We have held people as they cried.
We have prayed with people.
We have laughed.
We have āwinged itā with no recipe.
We had volunteers deliver meals to shut-ins.
We have failed and we have succeeded.
We have served.
Now it is time for us to hang up our aprons. It was a decision we have been in prayer for the past six months. We have our program director and co-founder, Amyās retirement coming in three years. We know it takes her 15 to 20 hours each month to run a successful Community Supper.
Then the money. This past year we have not had to pay rent for the use of Oak Park because we wrote grants and received funds for the warming box that was needed in the kitchen. We asked Lost Creekās Oak Park committee to waive the rent next year. We were told no that we needed to start paying rent again. We completely understand their policy and that they have costs too. We are a non-profit and not a church ministry. We understand.
It is our responsibility to be good stewards of the funds donated to us. We could not in good conscience pay $2,100 each year for rent on top of food. Our community supper is now no longer the only free meal being served in Perkins since Lost Creek started serving free meals the other Tuesdays in the month. We had to decide what to do.
To some, $2,100 does not seem like much, but 4 Kids and Community knows that sum can make an impact in a community. Our first yearās budget was $1,800. Eight years ago, we saw a need and started the only community supper in Perkins. Now Lost Creek has expanded to the other weeks. They have the facility and resources to continue serving the community without any disruption to services during this unpredictable time.
4 Kids and Community will continue to help those in need with schools supplies, provide weekend food bags, stock teacherās supply closets with never-ending supplies, distribute food boxes, supply hygiene products, fulfill classroom requests, feed at least 300 students daily snacks, proclaim Jesusā birth at Night in Bethlehem Village, pay for eyeglasses, tell the Reason for the Season at the Easter Egg Hunt, provide Christmas Gifts, have Santa with candy bags come to town, stock free book boxes, and whatever God has plans for us in the future.
Thank you so much to everyone that helped to make 98 community suppers a great success. We appreciate each of you. We were honored to serve free, hot meals for eight years. God Bless.
