(
Towson, Aug. 19) Life during the Covid19 pandemic has disrupted our normal routines and mandated that we find new ways to accomplish our tasks. For members of the Mission and Outreach Committee at Towson Presbyterian Church (TPC), restrictions related to Covid19 forced them to temporarily cancel the Sunday Community Lunch, which offered warm, nutritious meals to the food-insecure of our area every Sunday afternoon in our church hall.
However, driven by a desire to serve, Mission Committee and Sunday Community Lunch volunteers partnered with Towson’s Mt. Calvary AME Church to support its Wednesday meal program.
On the third Wednesday of every month, TPC committee members bring fixings to prepare meals for 100 individuals or more. They meet at Mt. Calvary AME where they box and prepare the meals for distribution to elderly residents at Virginia and Tabco Towers. Meals are also given to various individuals and families from Towson.
“Partnering with Mt. Calvary AME Church has provided TPC with the opportunity to continue serving those in need, while forming a wonderful connection with fellow churches including Mt. Calvary and the Holy Comforter, which volunteers on the fourth Wednesday of the month,” said Rev. Rob Carter, TPC Pastor.
On August 19th, TPC’s Jennifer Bolster, Barb Plunkett, Lynn Krugman, Jim Lyon, Ann and Ed Lehwald, Alan and Ruth Anne Randolph arrived at Mt. Calvary’s Family Life Center to package prepared ingredients to make mouth-watering burritos bowls. TPC and Mt. Calvary volunteers formed an assembly line to box tortillas, shredded Mexican-spiced chicken, guacamole, rice, beans, olives, chopped tomatoes and cucumbers. A brown bag filled with fruit and cookies accompanied the substantial lunch. The dish was the brainchild of Barb Plunkett. Other TPC committee members including Kris Spaulding, Linda Lotz, Dotsie Bregel, Dianne Thompson, Virginia Probasco and Kay Salemi contributed by preparing the ingredients at their homes the night before.
The 97 recipients of Wednesday’s lunch gave rave reviews of the burrito bowls – a new dish in the repertoire of meals served to the community. The Chair of Mt. Calvary AME’s Harvest Meals for the Hungry Program, Rev. Bonnie Epps-Burgess, noted that the demand for lunches has grown during the pandemic due to job loss, and lack of access to school lunches and other meal programs. An increase in demand for meals means TPC’s support is needed now more than ever to serve those in need.