Since the eruption of the novel coronavirus in February 2020, organizations, businesses and private lives have had to change what was considered a normal style of living and adjust to the situation.
Making a big change was Providence Baptist Church, circa 1850, at Ordinary. No longer holding regular Sunday services, Providence began serving the community with home-cooked meals.
This is the story from Paul Lemon, chief chef, who says, “The main reason I got into cooking is I like to get together with friends and family, and what better way than to prepare a good meal to enjoy fellowship with each other? When it comes to food it has to be good. When serving food to someone, you want them to feel like the person cooking cares about what is served and the way it is prepared.” And so the church outreach program began.
The fellowship committee met at the church following the shutdown, discussing how to serve the community in this time. Following prayer it was decided to serve food on weekends for as many as 700 people, drive-thru style. The first event was held the weekend following school closings.
The program is still in operation with outstanding additions such as home delivery of 200 meals per week, taking food to the medical staff at Riverside Walter Reed Hospital every Saturday, and issuance of 5,000 rolls of toilet paper when there was a shortage—one roll per meal,
Visiting ten grocery stores to obtain enough ingredients for one week and obtaining their own account with a food distributor were among the challenges of preparing these community meals. Menu for an upcoming week would be decided and on Monday the order would go in and be delivered on Thursday. On Friday the prep team moved in, did the prepping, figured out proportions and laid out everything for the next day, all under the direction of John Tucker. Members of the church made desserts and Emily Lemon made sure one was included with each meal.
According to Paul, “What was amazing to see was how the Lord was working in all of this.”
At a recent planning session for 900 suppers using 80 gallons of chili, thinking they would have some left over, they gave out. No problem. The meal team came up with a chicken casserole to finish serving 1,200 meals. “I believe that’s the most we have ever served in one day,” Paul said. “I would estimate during this effort we have given out over 10,000 meals.”
He adds, “We are so blessed to live in a community where so many care. I would estimate that over 300 support people were instrumental in accomplishing this effort. Gary Ward of Olivia’s on Main and Scoot’s BBQ shared their knowledge on preparations, portions and what containers to use. If running low on food we could pick up enough to get us through the day. Then there were these helping hands: Abingdon Ruritan Club, Kevin Spivey, Albin Fulcher, Slade Dunn, Tiffany Carr, Steve Gourley, Donald Sandridge and his cooking crew from Abingdon Ruritan Club, and our pastor Chris McMillan, who would be outside in line every week to serve people and speak with them.” The list goes on and on.
“We have an amazing community that wanted to be able to help in a trying time,” Paul said. “Truly a blessing, what God has been doing in Gloucester.”
MACARONI AND CHEESE
½ c. elbow macaroni
3 Tbs. butter or margarine
3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
2 c. milk, not skim
½ tsp. each salt and pepper
2 c. of shredded cheese
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook pasta according to package directions. While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a skillet or pot large enough to hold the pasta when it’s done. Add the flour and stir over medium heat until the mixture is lightly browned, 1-2 minutes. Add the milk and whisk to remove any lumps and add the salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until the sauce thickens and starts to bubble, about 6 minutes. Stir in the cheese and whisk until smooth and melted. Turn off the heat. When the pasta is almost done but still firm, drain it and add to the sauce. Stir the pasta into the sauce and bake in a greased 2-quart dish (or an 8×8 pan works pretty well) 20-25 minutes until browned and bubbly.
CHICKEN CASSEROLE
3 c. chopped cooked chicken
2 cans (10.5-oz. each) condensed cream of chicken soup
2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz.)
3 c. crispy bread crumbs
6 tbs. butter, melted
Heat oven to 350°F. Place chicken evenly in bottom of ungreased 13×9-inch (3-quart) baking dish. Spoon and spread soup evenly over chicken; sprinkle with cheese. In medium bowl, stir bread crumbs and melted butter; sprinkle over cheese. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until cheese is melted and bread crumbs are golden brown and thoroughly heated.
COLESLAW
1 (14-oz.) pkg. coleslaw mix
½ c. mayonnaise
1½ Tbs. honey (or granulated sugar)
1½ Tbs. apple cider vinegar
Salt (optional, to taste)
In a small mixing bowl whisk together mayonnaise, honey, apple cider vinegar and a pinch or two of salt if needed. Place coleslaw mix in a medium mixing bowl; pour mayonnaise mixture over all, then toss to evenly coat.
CHICKEN AND RICE
1 can (10½-oz.) cream of mushroom soup
1 c. water
¾ c. uncooked long grain white rice
¼ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
1¼ lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Stir the soup, water, rice, paprika and black pepper in an 11x8x2-inch baking dish. Season the chicken as desired. Top chicken with soup mixture. Cover the baking dish. Bake at 375°F. for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender. Let stand for 10 minutes. Stir the rice before serving.
BAKED BEANS
2 cans (28 oz.) pork and
beans
1½ c. packed brown sugar
½ lb. sliced bacon, cooked
and crumbled
1 c. finely chopped onion
1 c. ketchup
2 Tbs. ground mustard
Preheat oven to 325°F. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients. Transfer to a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, 1¼ to 1½ hours or until bubbly.