One ministry or tradition at St. Thomas’ that I pray continues for years to come.

Wandering through the campus of St Thomas’, with its’ gothic style church and surrounding cemetery, it reminds me of an old English church and the traditions of the Episcopal Church’s roots in the Anglican church (the Church of England). One of the traditions that come to mind is the involvement of the church in the community. At St Thomas’ the one ministry that exemplifies this tradition is the Kitchen of Hope. From its founding many years ago, it has been an important part of the life of the church. I dare say, it may well be the heart of the church. Many members of the church have participated in this loving service to the community. The Saturday give away is successful with help of
many, many folks. The once a month Saturday give away is the end results of the Friday before prep. Although the Saturday give away requires many hands, I will be writing about the “behind the scenes” of the Friday before.

It is a time that requires a great deal of manpower and time. Before the pandemic, Kitchen of Hope conducted the preparation of the bags of groceries in the parish hall. All food stuffs were either stored in the ARC or refrigerators/freezers in the hall. All food had to be brought into the parish hall and sorted for distribution. Parishioners like our favorite sisters, Barbara and Jackie “rolled” in to help prepare bags of groceries along with Elaine and Marie. The sisters and Elaine always helped with the donated baked goods and Marie always did the counting of boxes of cereal. Carolyn, Vivian’s sister, did whatever was needed. Nothing was beyond her willingness to get the bags filled. Even students from
Rowan came to help when they could. So many came to help!

During the pandemic, the “Kitchen” had to shut down but not for long! Vivian and John,
managed to get us “out into the air” to continue our give away. This ministry was to endure! As a consequence of the pandemic, Kitchen of Hope shifted to only outdoor prep for the Saturday give away. This practice continues until this day. We sometime think of ourselves like postal workers, “nor rain nor snow…” will stop us from preparing the bags. Whether snow, rain, heat or cold we come to fulfil the mission to feed the needy. Several retired parishioners like Jenny and Juanita come to lend a hand when there is need for extra hands, and even Debbie and Sid, some former members of the church, stop by to lend a hand. And of course, Friday prep wouldn’t be complete without Carl and Linda and their truck load of fresh produce from Bushels of Blessings. And with many of our parishioners moving swiftly into the “golden years”, we have been fortunate to have the help of workers from Atlantic Electric.

But the story of kitchen of Hope is not over. New challenges await but with the leadership of Deacon John and Vivian and, with God’s help, it will endure. It is a ministry that has survived through the pandemic providing food to many. As long as St Thomas’ Episcopal Church lives, Kitchen of Hope will grow and continue to be God’s gift to the community.

Faithfully,
Jim Gibbs