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Churches United tries to narrow hunger gap

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By Mary Louise Speer | Tuesday, August 07, 2007 | 1 comment(s)

Representatives from Churches United of the Quad-City Area, the Salvation Army and 50-plus faith groups met Monday night to discuss how they can help fill the gap and ensure that homeless people and others have access to a nourishing meal after John Lewis Café in Davenport closes Aug. 14.

The meeting was held at Asbury United Methodist Church in Bettendorf.

“As a result of this, we believe we are going to see an influx of people coming in for the evening meal,” said Anne Wachal, program manager for Churches United.

Churches United has operated a meal site at the Salvation Army Family Service Center, 301 W. 6th St., Davenport, since 1982. Charlie Farrell, the Quad-City social services director for the Salvation Army, estimated they could see a 25 percent rise in the number of people who come for dinner six days a week.

The meal site’s dining area can safely seat about 105, but that means diners would be sitting in cramped conditions, elbow to elbow.

The options are to continue with single seating, offer two mealtimes or change to a flexible schedule where people drop in and eat between specified hours.

If the decision was made to go with two seatings, the challenge would be to make sure the meal site is properly cleaned between servings and the food kept hot, Farrell said.

A steam table with five units would be a good asset.

“I would like to see us have enough seating for one time. I think a steam table would make a difference. Another refrigerator would make a difference,” Sister Mary Schmidt of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport said.

One person raised the issue of whether to look for another facility. But it would cost money Churches United does not have to run another location, pay utilities and have a site coordinator, Wachal said. And it would have to be in an area where people could walk to it, she added.

Another challenge for the groups involved would be to increase the amount of food and, possibly, the amount of time needed to serve the meal. Volunteers now serve between 22,000 and 23,000 free dinners annually at the meal site, Farrell said.

That number is separate from the meals served by the Salvation Army to people staying at its center. John Lewis Café serves an estimated 42,000-44,000 meals per year.

Contact the city desk at (563) 383-2245 or newsroom@qctimes.com.