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Food draws voters while at polls
Cabbage Rolls - Food for Votes
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Mahoning United Methodist Church, is making cabbage rolls for Tuesday sale, which happens to be Election Day
The Vindicator ( Youngstown)
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Members of Mahoning United Methodist Church, from left, Hallewell, Cindy Kramer and Dawn Crosby form a production line to make halupki. The crew makes between 200 and 400 cabbage rolls weekly. TheyÕre hoping people on the go on Election Day stop and buy some for dinner. .
The Vindicator ( Youngstown)
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Mary Hallewell shows off a pan of freshly made stuffed cabbage rolls (halupki) waiting for sauce to be added that will be sold from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at Mahoning United Methodist Church, 2214 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown. The church sells the cabbage rolls as a weekly fundraiser, which happens to coincide with Election Day this week. In addition to the halupki, the kitchen crew also makes and sells haluski, a dish of noodles and cabbage. .
By LINDA M. LINONIS
Organizations sponsoring Election Day food sales have a subtle and savory method of drawing people to support their cause.
The delicious aromas of what they’re selling are sure to attract customers.
“We bake cinnamon rolls, and they’re really good. People can’t resist the smell,” said Bobby Chalky, bake-sale chairwoman at Good Hope Lutheran Church in Boardman. And as if the cinnamon treats weren’t enough to sway voters, the church members also bake pies. “It’s a natural to bring people in.”
Chalky said the sale has been going on more than eight years; the church is a polling place.
She added the sale always “sells out.”
Chalky said the church polled the poll workers and found out there was an interest in other food. So, this year Good Hope also will sell sloppy joes and pizza
Sale proceeds will go toward kitchen renovation at the church.
Mahoning United Methodist Church sponsors a weekly stuffed-cabbage-rolls sale Tuesday, and this week’s sale coincides with Election Day. Though the church isn’t a polling site, the Rev. Joyce Lawson, pastor, said she hopes people will remember the sale on this busy day and pick up some for dinner.
The Rev. Mrs. Lawson said the church has a sign out front advertising the sale. “I think it catches people’s attention and reminds them of the sale,” she said. The church began the project almost a year ago.
Mary Hallewell, church organist and sale coordinator, said the cooking crew decided to make stuffed-cabbage rolls (halupki) because “they’re different.”
Hallewell, a former owner of the Grecian Gourmet in Boardman that is now closed, uses her halupki recipe. “Many people like stuffed cabbage but don’t want to spend time making it,” she said.
The crew also makes haluski (cabbage and noodles) to sell. Hallewell said the crew of seven or so includes men, who carry the heavy cabbage-roll filled pans.
She said they usually make between 200 and 400 rolls; what they don’t sell can be frozen. Sometimes leftovers have gone to the Rescue Mission of Mahoning Valley.
Hallewell and Mrs. Lawson said they anticipated sales’ picking up as the weather turns colder. The stuffed-cabbage rolls are filling and a comfort food. They’re cooked so customers just have to heat them up and eat.
Leesa York, performance coach and fund-raising chairwoman at Summit Academy in Youngstown, said the pasta dinner there is in its second year. With a polling place next door at St. Patrick Church on Oak Hill Avenue, she said the dinner provides a convenience for poll workers and voters. “Our carryout is big,” she said. “We have a lot of traffic.”
The school, which houses ninth through 12th grades, is in its seventh year. Proceeds from the dinner benefit school activities such as field trips, honor banquet and awards to students.
Mary Lou Drotleff of Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Canfield said the spaghetti dinner fundraiser has been going on some 20 years. It originated as a food sale at the Canfield Fair. “Somehow or other, it was changed,” Drotleff said.
The dinner draws between 400 and 600 people. “We even get people who have voted by absentee ballot,” she said. “The food is great, and it’s easy access.”
About 30 church volunteers pitch in at the dinner, and church members donate homemade desserts. Canfield Community Band will play from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Proceeds go to church maintenance and 10 percent to benevolence and outreach in the community.
Assumption Social Center of St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church, 356 S. Belle Vista Ave., Youngstown: Sausage sandwiches with peppers and onions and chips will be available from 11 a.m. until sold out.
Good Hope Lutheran Church, 98 Homestead Drive, Boardman: Bake sale and luncheon begins at 6:30 a.m. until sold out and features homemade baked goods. There also will be sloppy joes, pizza and chips.
Liberty Assembly of God, 6779 Belmont Ave., Liberty: Women’s Ministries will sponsor a luncheon and bake sale from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eat in or carryout. Homemade soups, meat-loaf sandwiches, hot dogs and baked goods.
Lord of Life Lutheran
Church, 550 N. Broad St., Canfield: Spaghetti dinner is planned from 4:30 to 8 p.m. in the cafeteria of Canfield High School, 100 Cardinal Drive, Canfield. Meals are $7 for adults, $4 for children and free for those 5 and younger.
Mahoning United Methodist Church, 2214 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown: Stuffed cabbage rolls will be sold from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. or until sold out. Cost is $1.50 each.
Summit Academy, 1400 Oak Hill Ave., Youngstown: A pasta dinner with meatballs, salad, bread, beverage and dessert will be sold from noon to 6 p.m. Cost is $6 for adults, $4 for students and $3 for children younger than 10. The school is located next to St. Patrick Church, a polling place.