Last week, Compassion Kitchen in Richland, Washington offeredits first meal service to the community. Compassion Kitchen is anew project that was fueled by the desire to assist those in thecommunity who are struggling with food insecurity. Members ofRedeemer Lutheran Church worked tirelessly to get the idea offthe ground — assisted in part by funds from a NOW DistrictCOVID-19 Community Care Grant.
Compassion Kitchen’s mission statement is: “To provide healthymeals to the hungry people of God in a loving, accepting andChrist centered atmosphere.”
Compassion Kitchen’s Director Dian Mauth is a Redeemermember who was huge in the creation and implementation of thisproject. She offered some details about what Compassion Kitchenis all about:
The First Service
We served our first Compassion Kitchen meal on January 18,2022. After nearly a year of planning and praying, our team wasvery happy to see this day! We were fully staffed with volunteers,and the service went smoothly. The Bible tells us in Deuteronomy15:11, “For there will never cease to be poor in the land.Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to yourbrother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’” Our prayer isthat Compassion Kitchen will continue serving meals as long asthere is a need.
Teamwork
I feel so blessed to be involved with Compassion Kitchen. Whenwe first started our planning, our mission was to provide healthy
8/5/22, 1:27 PM Compassion Kitchen Launches in Richland | https://nowlcms.org
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meals to the hungry people of God in a loving, accepting andChrist centered atmosphere. We also wanted to unite the membersof Redeemer to work together toward a common goal. As thedirector of Compassion Kitchen, I am humbled and encouraged bythe support we have received from Redeemer members. I amgrateful to be a member in such a loving congregation. When theother LCMS churches in our area, Emmaus and Bethlehem, heardabout Compassion Kitchen, they were also excited to volunteer. Weanticipate that as Compassion Kitchen grows, we will havecommunity volunteers also.
Community Outreach
I like how this project has expanded our congregation’s focus onsupporting our community. People experiencing food insecurityand hunger come from varied areas in our community. We want tofeed those experiencing homelessness, but we also want to helpfamilies who struggle between paying bills and buying food. Weare focused on our entire community, not just one population.Assistant Director Denise Rogers said: “Redeemer is blessed witha wonderful commercial kitchen and that, combined with theenthusiasm of our volunteers, will be an important part in thesuccess of Compassion Kitchen.”
Continued Blessings
We pray that through Compassion Kitchen, lives will be touchedthrough receiving a healthy meal and being exposed to the love ofChrist. I am excited to see the ways in which God blesses ourefforts and how lives are touched through Compassion Kitchen.
Do you have a project that could be helped by a NOW DistrictCOVID-19 Community Care Grant?
Find more info here.
