It goes without saying the pandemic has caused many hardships, most of all the hardship of cutting us off from one another. This has sharpened our focus and awareness of our true treasures in this life – each other. The church, in her wisdom, has long known about our true treasures.
For over forty years the Long Term Care System has been serving the elderly and people with disabilities – some of God’s most precious treasures. Our Senior Nutrition program provides hot, home-style meals to thousands of seniors at thirty meal sites. Our “Meals on Wheels” program delivers nearly 366,000 meals and smiles annually to homebound, isolated elders. And now, we’re adding the St. Lawrence Food Truck to our nutrition network!
Beyond our human need for food, the fellowship of breaking bread with others is vital. When the pandemic hit, we were forced to shift to ‘take-out’ only at our senior meal sites. While good food satisfies hunger, we were missing a key element to the program, eating together, which satisfies the soul. This element was missing until now with the launch of our St. Lawrence Food Truck!
Why St. Lawrence, the patron saint of chefs and comedians? In the third century, the Roman Prefect, believing a rumor the church had great wealth, demanded Deacon Lawrence present to him this wealth of the church. Lawrence assembled the poor, orphans, widows, infirm and aged on a hillside. When the Prefect arrived to collect his tribute, Lawrence waived his arm towards the crowd as he declared “Behold the treasures of the church!”
It was with great excitement and many smiles that on the feast of St. Lawrence, August 10, we honored our African American meal site participants with the inaugural St. Lawrence Food Truck luncheon. After eighteen months of isolation, participants could once again eat together and enjoy their treasures – each other’s company.
The Food Truck Program allows us to reach areas that currently have limited access to brick and mortar sites; poor neighborhoods, trailer parks, and isolated, rural areas without a community center. Our elder neighbors can gather in a safe, outdoor dining space, partake in a hot nutritious meal and have meaningful fellowship with one another.
Our food truck program has been a dream but grounded in solid research and understanding of food truck operations. We have been fortunate to have on our team an experienced food truck entrepreneur and certified instructor for others entering this unique food service niche. Your gift of $100 or whatever treasure you can spare will help launch St. Lawrence Food Truck II!
Serving God’s treasures through this innovative program is a groundbreaking concept and a first for a non-profit in the state of Washington. But, we can only do so much with one truck.
Our vision is to have a fleet of these trucks to reach many underserved communities. To reach low income folks who would not normally access a meal site or perhaps haven’t had the opportunity to socialize in a very long time – or ever. With your donation – your earthly treasure – you can help us with our joint mission and privilege to serve God’s treasures.
Thank you in advance for your help with this exciting venture. If you happen to see the St. Lawrence Food Truck in your travels, stop by and say hello to the ‘treasures’ gathered in joyful appreciation.
– Peter Nazzal, Director of Long Term Care
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Help us reach our $100,000 goal. The first $5,000 in online gifts will be matched!
