Last week, Compassion Kitchen in Richland, Washington offered its first meal service to the community. Compassion Kitchen is a new project that was fueled by the desire to assist those in the community who are struggling with food insecurity. Members of Redeemer Lutheran Church worked tirelessly to get the idea off the ground — assisted in part by funds from a NOW District COVID-19 Community Care Grant.
Compassion Kitchen’s mission statement is: “To provide healthy meals to the hungry people of God in a loving, accepting and Christ centered atmosphere.”
Compassion Kitchen’s Director Dian Mauth is a Redeemer member who was huge in the creation and implementation of this project. She offered some details about what Compassion Kitchen is 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 was very happy to see this day! We were fully staffed with volunteers, and the service went smoothly. The Bible tells us in Deuteronomy 15:11, “For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’” Our prayer is that Compassion Kitchen will continue serving meals as long as there is a need.
Teamwork
I feel so blessed to be involved with Compassion Kitchen. When we first started our planning, our mission was to provide healthy meals to the hungry people of God in a loving, accepting and Christ centered atmosphere. We also wanted to unite the members of Redeemer to work together toward a common goal. As the director of Compassion Kitchen, I am humbled and encouraged by the support we have received from Redeemer members. I am grateful to be a member in such a loving congregation. When the other LCMS churches in our area, Emmaus and Bethlehem, heard about Compassion Kitchen, they were also excited to volunteer. We anticipate that as Compassion Kitchen grows, we will have community volunteers also.
Community Outreach
I like how this project has expanded our congregation’s focus on supporting our community. People experiencing food insecurity and hunger come from varied areas in our community. We want to feed those experiencing homelessness, but we also want to help families who struggle between paying bills and buying food. We are focused on our entire community, not just one population. Assistant Director Denise Rogers said: “Redeemer is blessed with a wonderful commercial kitchen and that, combined with the enthusiasm of our volunteers, will be an important part in the success of Compassion Kitchen.”
Continued Blessings
We pray that through Compassion Kitchen, lives will be touched through receiving a healthy meal and being exposed to the love of Christ. I am excited to see the ways in which God blesses our efforts and how lives are touched through Compassion Kitchen.
Do you have a project that could be helped by a NOW District COVID-19 Community Care Grant? Find more info here.
