Hundreds of Ennerdale residents count on church’s Thursday feeding scheme

Long before the food is served at 2pm, residents begin gathering outside the gates of the Redeemed Gospel Church in Ennerdale, waiting for the doors to open and for their turn to receive a hot meal.

Some arrive early and wait outside until they are called in, while children coming straight from school know that a meal is waiting for them.

According to Cecilia Jacobs, who helps lead the church’s feeding scheme, the sight of children arriving excited and jumping up and down because they know they are about to be served is a reminder of why the initiative continues.

The feeding scheme, which has been running for about six years, has grown from serving about 50 people to between 250 and 300 people every Thursday.

Collet Khan, an assistant, said the increase in numbers had largely been driven by word of mouth and the church sharing information about the initiative on social media.

“It’s a mix,” said Khan. “People who rely on the meals include homeless people, people from less fortunate households, children and elderly residents.”

Some beneficiaries have told the church that the Thursday meal is their first and sometimes only meal of the day.

Jacobs said initiatives such as the feeding scheme can also help prevent people from turning to crime out of desperation to put food on the table.

The church does not receive external funding for the programme. The food is paid for through the church, including money collected from its Wednesday evening offering.

The limited budget means there is no fixed menu. Meals depend on what the church can afford each week.

Khan said the helpers arrive in the morning, every Thursday, to buy ingredients and prepare the food.

The church also relies on donations, and would welcome support with essentials such as rice, vegetables, spices and gas for cooking.

He said he comes particularly for his children, some of whom leave for school without lunch. Stolls has four children and a granddaughter.

“This is really a good initiative and they accept everyone, no matter the race and gender. In some churches they prioritise children and elderly people, but here we all are welcome,” Stolls told TimesLIVE.

For 70-year-old Lenna Maphaese, the certainty of having a hot meal every Thursday had brought relief to her household.

Maphaese, who lives in Lakeview and walks to the church to collect food for herself and her grandchildren, said the initiative helped keep her household going.

She said knowing that they could count on a hot meal every Thursday made her and her family happy.

Maphaese does not attend the Redeemed Gospel Church but continues to use the feeding scheme because her own church does not offer a similar service.

The church records the names of people who come for food, with children being served first, followed by women and men. When there is enough food, people may return for another serving.

Jacobs said the growing number of people arriving each Thursday highlighted the continued need for support in the community.

The church hopes to secure regular donations so it can plan meals ahead of time and serve the growing number of residents who arrive at its gates each week.