No ham bones about it

By Linda M. Linonis

Volunteers at church raise mission funds

Church volunteers don’t loaf when it comes to their effort to benefit missions.

BOARDMAN — Customers arriving at Boardman United Methodist Church to pick up their ham loaf orders need only to follow their noses to fellowship hall.

The heavenly ham aroma, an enticing promise of the comfort food they’ll be carting home, wafts through the halls.

The ham loaf project at the church embodies a spirit of generosity, teamwork and dedication to a cause.

And, the ham loaves are mighty tasty.

Kay Lugibihl, a volunteer, credited the recipe to Western Reserve Baptist Church, where her mother attended.

“They had served the ham loaves at luncheons,” she said, and also sold them as a fundraiser. When Western Reserve discontinued the project, Lugibihl asked if Boardman UMC could use the recipe.

“They gave the OK with one stipulation ... that we didn’t share the recipe,” she said.

About 15 volunteers, men and women, give their time from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on sale day. From mixing ingredients, forming ham balls, basting and baking loaves, the volunteers do the work cheerfully and methodically.

It’s all for a good cause, Lugibihl said. The project benefits the World Service and Benevolence Fund, which supports 450 national and international missions and missionaries.

“We feel strongly about that," Lugibihl said of devotion to this effort. Boardman UMC has contributed nearly $72,000 to the cause since the project began Oct. 7, 1995.

“The money benefits so many missions and has a real effect,” said Joyce Rettenmier, involved since the beginning.

For customers, Rettenmier said, “The ham loaves are a bargain and so handy for a quick meal. People can ‘doctor’ them up as well ... I make a horseradish sauce to go with the loaves and I know someone who uses them for ham salad sandwiches.”

The church, she explained, has the facility and the people to keep the effort going. “We have a loyal group of workers and customers,” she said.

The key to the project’s success also has to do with the quality of ingredients.

“We only use prime ingredients,” Lugibihl emphasized. “We feel so blessed,” she added, noting that the meat supplier, Catullo Prime Meats of Boardman, recently made an extra effort for the church.

The last sale, Sept. 16, was in the aftermath of the Sept. 14 windstorm that caused property damage and power outages to area homes and businesses.

“Some of our volunteers met them [Catullo] at 6:30 a.m. at the store to get our order,” Lugibihl said. The business came through for the church under challenging circumstances, she added.

“We use a combination of ground pork and ham,” Lugibihl said. “We do the mixing here.”

The proportions of ham and pork are part of the secret recipe.

The volunteers work in assembly-line style. Sonny Friend, “chief mixer,” claimed he came to his assignment because he can lift the large mixer’s heavy bowl. “Everyone pitches in. It’s all part of the camaraderie,” he said.

After he let the electric mixer do its work combining the pork and ham, eggs, bread crumbs, flour and other ingredients, the mixture went to the next station.

Barbara Lendon and Kitty Mathey used oversized ice cream scoops to form the ham balls from each batch, which makes 48 five-ounce ham balls. “The most we’ve ever made is 1,020,” Lugibihl said. The number depends on the orders, fluctuating between 800 and 1,000.

“I want to do my part in volunteer work for the church,” Mathey said.

Lendon said she retired about 11 years ago and this activity “fills an empty spot.”

“There’s good fellowship and we have a chance to visit,” she said, “while we’re doing something good to benefit others.”

Jackie Hura described herself as a floater: “I mix, make loaves or make the sauce,” she said, noting she goes where she is needed.

Avis Haynam noted that “each person has a different job” and each contributes to the overall effort. “It’s a good time among good friends.”

Mary Friend, who was placing the loaves in a baking pan, said, “This project feels like you are doing something worthwhile. It’s helping missions that help so many people in the world who need medical help.”

Bob Bradley, who called himself a “dabber,” puts the sauce over the loaves. “I have the wrist action ... I do whatever I can,” he said.

John Harr joked a bit, noting he spent “six weeks of intense training” learning how to baste. His secret also is “in the wrist.”

Lugibihl said Jan Ugran, a church member who has expertise in this area, instructed the crew in food safety precautions.