Most communities are fortunate to have a position where other people can get a loose hot meal.
The Waterville-Winslow now has two.
A month after the opening of Stone Soup Cafe at Winslow Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Waterville Area Soup Kitchen will open The Lighthouse at 38 College Ave on Monday in Waterville, across from the U. S. Post Office.
“As a group, we came here with the call and that’s because it’s a beacon for our community,” said Carla Caron, chair of the soup kitchen board. “It’s an area in the storm, built on a rock. “
On Wednesday, Caron at the College Avenue site, which the soup kitchen rents from Areti LaCroix and which was once the End Zone sports bar. Volunteers have it ready for Monday’s opening at 11 a. m.
“We will begin serving at 11:20 a. m. y. and until 12:30 p. m. m. ,” Caron said. Initially, we will be open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. In a month, we will attend six days a week. We just want to exercise and identify our new volunteers, and we’re looking for more.
For more than two years, Caron and the team, along with chief Chad Cookson, have meals prepared at St. Cookson. Mark’s Episcopal Church on Eustis Parkway and take them to Veterans Park, Green Street Park, Falls Chief and compete 3 days a week.
“We served 5,467 foods through April 16,” Caron said.
Visitors who get food know The Lighthouse will update this mobile effort and some are eager to move into the new space, Caron said, but she’s sure they’re passing by to acclimatize and come and enjoy social interaction.
“It may sound simple, but being able to come in, get off and have lunch with new and old friends is a goal,” he said.
This spring marks the first time since the closure of the Sacred Heart soup kitchen on Pleasant Street two years ago that the communities of Waterville and Winslow have loose hot meals. Some of the same people who volunteered for Sacred Heart are also on the board of the Waterville Area Soup Kitchen, which supports itself through fundraising, grants, donations, and assistance from the Good Shepherd Food Bank.
Aline Poulin made the effort, donated budget from her own pocket, and then caron worried. Caron said they made him known to customers.
“I have so much joy in this,” he said. I can see the price and the potential they have, if they knew how much they have a price. “
Caron, 54, is a retired physician manager and has worked in other physical care settings. His philosophy for helping the less fortunate is not to seek to fix them, but to listen. Her religion in God is what motivates her, she says.
“We have other people who live in their cars, other people who can’t make ends meet, the economy and groceries are very expensive. We just hope we can fill that void. We are revered to be allowed to do so when necessary.
As she speaks, volunteer Austin Segel continues to equip the new space. Dean Dolham chopped green peppers in the kitchen while stirring a pot of ground beef on the stove for chili that would soon be served to consumers in city parks. An engineer who retired from Sappi a year ago, Dolham also built a stair railing to ship the canned goods from the basement where they are stored.
“This area is definitely the best for us,” he said. “It’s close to our consumers for the most part. It’s kind of a central location without being in the center.
Monday’s opening day menu will come with Chinese pâté, green salad and homemade rolls, according to Caron, who expects a turnout.
“We can serve up to a hundred people,” he said.
Amy Calder has been a reporter for the Morning Sentinel for 34 years. His columns appear here on Saturdays. She can be reached at [email protected]. For the previous columns of Reporting Aside, skip to centralmaine. com.
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