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The Banquet in Salem fills multiple needs
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Friends of The Banquet in Salem are ready to serve the Monday night meal at Salem Memorial Building. From left are Myrtle Bailey of Winona, Wendell Satterthwait of New York and Meta Culler of Salem. About 200 meals are served every Monday.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
Salem
The Banquet in Salem nourishes people in multiple ways – nutritionally, emotionally and spiritually.
From 5 to 7 p.m. Mondays and the fourth Thursdays at Salem Memorial Building, people with limited means can eat a hearty meal. For those looking for fellowship, there are plenty of friendly faces. For everyone, the dinners fill many needs.
The Rev. Bill Wilkins, retired pastor at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, serves as treasurer of The Banquet in Salem, a nonprofit organization governed by a board of directors and staffed by volunteers. Pastor Bill, as he is called, said area churches realized providing a hot meal was a needed service.
The Banquet in Salem first served meals Sept. 20, 2004, and added the fourth Thursday in September 2008. The Banquet on Sept. 23 will recall the project’s start date, and the observance will continue with supporters and volunteers recognized through next year.
The Banquet in Salem is patterned after The Banquet in Sioux Falls, S.D., which the Rev. Robert Quaintance, pastor of Good Hope Lutheran Church in Boardman, had learned about while serving there. He shared the information with Lutheran pastors in the Mahoning Valley. The Sioux Falls organization sent the Ohio churches a video and details on how to set up and operate the event. “It meant a lot to us,” Pastor Bill said.
Holy Trinity and Emmanuel Lutheran churches, St. Paul Catholic Church and First Christian Church organized The Banquet and continue support. “We have some 40 sponsors — churches, businesses, service clubs, school groups and individuals,” Pastor Bill said.
It takes about 25 people to prepare, serve and clean up at the meals. “Everyone is a volunteer,” he said. Each group provides the whole meal, which costs between $500 and $600.
The Rev. Connie Sassanella of Holy Trinity Lutheran, board president of The Banquet, said, “We average about 200 people on Mondays and 175 on Thursdays.” The cost is based on 230 meals, which allows for some takeouts.
This week, Friends of The Banquet, volunteers who help when no sponsor is scheduled, provided the meal of meatloaf, scalloped potatoes, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, fresh fruit and vegetables and ice cream sundaes. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are available to take as snacks. During wintertime, soup supplements the menu. “We make it as homemade as we can,” Pastor Bill said.
Pastor Connie said organization and written guidelines keep The Banquet running efficiently. The meal is served on the second floor of the memorial building, and people arrive as early as 3:30. A “welcome room” provides a space to gather and doubles as a children’s play area. Tickets for the meal are distributed.
Pastor Connie said the tickets keep count of meals served. The dining room accommodates eight tables, each seating seven people. So, as tickets are called, those tables are occupied. As people finish their meals, other ticket holders are called to fill the seats.
She offered statistics that noted 12,001 meals at 61 banquets were served from May 7, 2012, to April 29, 2013, with 1,486 meals for children. A food for children grant directed by Salem Community Foundation reimburses $100 to sponsors toward the cost of meat, and a grant through United Young Farmers provides milk.
Pastor Bill said those attending The Banquet come for various reasons. “There are families with limited incomes and a number of widows and widowers who would rather not eat alone,” Pastor Bill said. “The meal serves different kinds of needs.
“It’s a feel-good kind of thing,” he continued. “It’s created a network of people who help ... and connections among people.”
Pastor Bill said what matters is that the meals “really make a difference.” For people of faith who volunteer, “they have a sense of giving back,” Pastor Bill said. “For those who eat here, they see they are not forgotten.”
Pastor Connie said some people who ate at The Banquet now volunteer. She said volunteers are motivated by their faith and the suggestion of Jesus to feed the hungry.
Don and Joanna Herron, Holy Trinity members, bus tables. “It makes you feel good to help someone,” he said. “We’ve met a lot of people here,” his wife added.