This Sunday, Franklin Street Community will be serving Richmond's homeless population as part of "Loaves and Fishes" at the Conrad Center (1400 Oliver Hill Way) from 11 am to 2 pm.
Churches from the Richmond area handle preparing and serving food to the city's homeless population at the Conrad Center, and we handle lunch on the third Sunday of each month. Typically about 25 men and women (and sometimes children) show up and bring a huge appetite. They usually eat about 60 meals-worth of food.
We've become much more efficient in how we split tasks and prepare the food and have become a well-oiled machine with great teamwork. We've also tweaked the menu to cater to the likes and dislikes of our patrons. For instance, salads are rarely touched. Both a vegetable medley of tomatoes and cucumbers with Italian dressing and cooked corn and lima beans are much preferred.
We've been so fortunate as to serve the poorest of Richmond, because although they may not have much money, they're certainly not poor in spirit. We've learned a lot from the experiences, and have hopefully shared the love of Christ. While it's initially uncomfortable, there's no better way to reach the homeless than getting out there and sitting and sharing a meal with them.
We'd love to have you join us - see you at 11 am.
