The St. James Lunch Program provides a hot meal to 70-120 clients every Saturday, Sunday, and national holiday. This program works in partnership with the weekday hot meal program at the Salvation Army.
Volunteers from 14 area churches prepare the meals. PUMC is always scheduled for the third Saturday of every month. The Lunch Program's budget provides a fully stocked pantry with canned and dry goods, as well as providing meat. Most cooking teams prepare their meals from the stocked pantry and freezers. Funding has been secured through grants from Federal, Local, and Episcopal Diocese grants through the years, as well as from private out-of-pocket donations from individuals. The program also benefits greatly from the "Harvest for Hunger" program, sponsored locally by the Lake County Hunger Task Force through the United Way.
For many years, various teams from PUMC (such as the Youth Group, Boy Scouts, and United Methodist Women) have worked at the soup kitchen. A group begins preparation at 10 a.m. and finishes the clean-up by 3 p.m. Many youth have used this opportunity to serve the community and fulfill community service requirements for school.
Coordinators Frank and Sharon Noewer can always use extra help. Please call them at 440-254-0702 for more information or to volunteer your time and talents.