Our Father's Kitchen

Who says there’s no free lunch? That’s certainly not the case for those in Greene County who face food insecurity. Since the beginning of April 2022, all those in need of a good noontime meal have been able to find one every Saturday at Our Father’s Kitchen located at the Greensboro First United Methodist Church in downtown Greensboro. 

Our Father’s Kitchen is a combined effort of Second Harvest (a local nonprofit that addresses food insecurity through monthly food distributions and by providing weekend backpack meals for Greene County elementary school students) and several downtown-area churches: First Presbyterian, First United Methodist, Historic Springfield Baptist, and the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer. 

The story of how Our Father’s Kitchen came to be is an interesting one. Back in 2019, members of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer decided they wanted to get to know the neighbors in the area around their church. And what better way is there to visit and to get to know your neighbors than to share a meal with them? That idea blossomed into the first Soup and Sandwich Saturday lunch which was held on August 24, 2019. With several volunteers on hand, tables were dressed in checkered tablecloths, silverware, and napkins and each guest was served a soup and sandwich meal.  The volunteers were, of course, striving for perfection as hosts but they soon discovered the perfection was in their guests.  They came with smiles, stories and friendship. 

In 2021, during the pandemic, food insecurity increased and as a result both the First Presbyterian and First United Methodist Churches also began serving lunches one Saturday per month. Then, based on the growing need shown on those Saturdays, discussions began among some members of each of the churches involved to perhaps combine their efforts for both the churches’ benefit as well as for the growing population of lunch recipients.  

“If we teamed up and offered lunch from one location consistently, our lunch guests wouldn’t have to guess where we were on any given Saturday,” offered Jenny Moore the leader of the team at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer. “In addition, we could gain some efficiencies relative to food costs and create a larger pool of volunteers.”  

Following more discussion, the leadership at the First United Methodist Church offered their facilities (which includes a kitchen and a room that can be used for dining) for use every Saturday for lunches to be prepared and served by each of the participating churches.  

And at that point, with some financial seed money and support from Second Harvest, Our Father’s Kitchen was born. 

Each of the four churches now prepares and serves a free lunch on their respective Saturday at the First United Methodist Church campus in downtown Greensboro. Moreover, in the four months since Our Father’s Kitchen opened its doors, the number of recipients has doubled and now over 100 meals are served each Saturday. 

Our Father’s Kitchen (a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit) is led and staffed by all-volunteer teams from each of the churches and all operating costs are paid for from donations made directly to the organization or to one of the member churches.  

The fast-growing number of lunch recipients coupled with increasing food costs have quickly strained the young organization financially and additional monies are needed to ensure those in need are able to be adequately served. 

If you wish to donate please contact Our Father’s Kitchen Treasurer Patty Aldrin at paldrin@hotmail.com. If you are a member of one of the participating churches you may also contact Patty or make your designated donation at your church.