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Around 225 served monthly at free Come for Supper meal

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Guests at a recent Come for Supper meal line up in the basement of St. Peter Church to fill their plates with healthy, home-cooked food. (Submitted photo)

By Correne Martin

Families, friends and strangers from all communities, needs and denominations are invited to attend the free monthly Come for Supper meal in the basement of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Prairie du Chien. Always the third Thursday of the month, Feb. 18 is the next supper, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Cheeseburger soup is the main dish on this month’s menu.

An average of 225 meals are served by volunteers, once a month, for those who seek good company, are trying to make ends meet, or simply want a night off from cooking.

The Prairie du Chien Come for Supper provision has been offered publicly since April 2009, when a local group of about five volunteers helped out at a free meal at Our Savior’s church in La Crosse and fell in love with the idea.

“We had no idea, when we started, that we’d become part of a movement,” Pastor Joe Irvin said, recognizing that a multitude of similar meals are shared in communities across the region.

Though it’s held at St. Peter Church, no worship or religious beliefs are pushed upon those attending the meal.

“We don’t proselytize in any way. We only say grace and a nice welcome,” Irvin noted. “We have no problems being who we are but we don’t want people to feel uncomfortable.”

“It’s a very welcoming, wonderful and joyful event where you can enjoy a good meal and good conversation,” added Suzy Tegge, who, along with Irvin, Terry Lins and Dede Stark, organize the offering.

The very first time Come for Supper was held in Prairie du Chien, 47 meals were served. The second time, there were 98 who ate. Now, seven years down the road, the number of diners ranges from about 200 to 250 any given month, including 150 to 170 on site, 20 to 60 carryouts and another 20 to 25 for the crew of volunteers.

A typical meal, prepared by a different chef nearly every time, consists of a meat, starch, vegetable, salads, desserts and peanut butter sandwiches as an alternative for kids. Between 40 and 50 chefs have volunteered their time and talents to cook for the crowd and each is provided with a list of menu options, broken down into amounts of food needed to prepare the cuisine for several hundred people.

“They’re always balanced meals. We’re making a real effort to switching over to a healthy, yet budget-friendly, menu,” Tegge said. “In the summer, we’ve been fortunate enough to have local gardeners share their produce with us.”

Organizers’ costs of the meal has grown from about $200 to $300 in the early years to now $300 to $400. Because diners are never, in any way, asked to pay toward their meals, and no budget impact is carried by St. Peter Church either, donations are relied upon to cover expenses.

Tegge said, usually, though it’s not expected, some of the people eating will drop a couple dollars in a donation jar the night of the supper. In addition, contributions from local individuals, businesses and organizations are received frequently.

“The really beautiful thing is that the money rolls in. We’ve received $1,000 and even $2,000 a couple different times,” Irvin said. Every month, it’s common to see about $150 to $200 in the donation jar.

The crew, each month, that helps to prep in the kitchen, bus tables, serve drinks and desserts, man the dishwasher, clean up, and even run the elevator is completely volunteer-based. Civic organizations and community groups make up a large part of those volunteers. Tegge, who takes care of the volunteer recruitment, said the Rotary Club, fire department, hospital staff, Opportunity Center, Lori Knapp Companies, 4-H and churches of all denominations have been involved in the past. The Rotary Club will serve at the Feb. 18 Come for Supper.

“They all come in and join us and that’s what’s gratifying,” Irvin commented.

Additional organizing of each event is done by Lins and Stark, who work to prep, order and run the kitchen. Plus, 10 people are asked to bake and bring desserts each month as well.

All the behind-the-scenes efforts take place so that the people attending Come for Supper can sit back, relax and have a pleasant time.

“Our crowd is the largest by about 5:30. It’ll stretch from our serving area back to our elevator,” Irvin said. “It’s so wonderful. It’s probably the best day of the month for me. And it’s been a good thing for our congregation. We hope it says to people that St. Peter cares about the community.”

“It’s a thrill and it’s exhausting but we all smile, laugh and leave here with the best feeling,” Tegge added. “It’s a real source of pride for us to be able to offer this.”

The March Come for Supper will be Thursday, March 17. During the meal, there will be a presentation celebrating the many chefs who’ve given to the event.

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