Loaves & Fishes Celebrates 10 Years of Warm Meals
A Minnesota nonprofit is marking 10 years at a Brooklyn Center church after serving tens of thousands of meals to people in need.
Three days a week, an assembly line of volunteers is crafting meals for Loaves and Fishes at Brooklyn United Methodist Church.
For site coordinator Matt Horvath, the group’s message is simple: “People need to eat,” he said. “Because there’s that need, I want to help fulfill it.”
Horvath leads the free meal service with no barriers. Anyone can come grab a healthy meal, cooked on-site at BUMC three days a week. For many, he said this meal is a lifeline. It has other benefits as well.
“In short, I would say the big thing is, it’s a great way for human connection,” Horvath said. “Whether that’s just receiving a food from another person and seeing a friendly face, or stopping in for a bit of a social hour. It tends to their humanity.”
Horvath starts the work early each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Volunteers then hop in to finish the meal and carry it curbside. Some people opt to eat inside, but most pick it up and take it home to their families.
Volunteers with Loaves and Fishes put together a hot, healthy lunch on Wednesday.
A Growing Need
Volunteer Basil Owen is a friendly face to those visitors each Wednesday. He started helping out weekly three years ago.
“I love to serve” Owen said. “I love to interact with the people. To me, that’s the best part of all of this. To see what you’re doing is making an immediate impact. “They can’t get rid of me now.”
His three years are just 30 percent of the time Loaves and Fishes has served the community. Owen’s now a vital volunteer keeping the operation going. He said he feels it’s important to help his community as it grows and changes.
Basil Owen hands a meal bag to a neighbor. Anyone can receive meals, no questions asked.
“When I grew up here, everybody looked like me,” Owen said. “That has changed and I love it. There’s this diversity now in the area, but there’s also a need.”
Over the 10 years, need continues to grow. On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, demand surged in the first 20 minutes.
Pastor Gloria Roach Thomas, who oversees outreach at BUMC, said this reliable, healthy option is vital.
“In this day and age, when there’s a lot of uncertainty, to know that Loaves and Fishes is here and people can count on it Monday, Wednesday, Friday, is a good thing,” she said.
This is just one place neighbors can get a warm meal. The nonprofit, based out of Minneapolis, has a number of locations throughout the state. It was founded back in 1982.
Loaves and Fishes runs at BUMC between noon and 1 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The program is closed on Friday, Nov. 29 after Thanksgiving, but will resume regular operations the next week. More details are available on the Loaves and Fishes website.
