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Mount Shasta, Calif. —
The doors of The Coffee Connection in Mount Shasta were once again open to everyone on Monday afternoon for the sixth free soup kitchen.
Lynda Jantzer said the turnout has been about 40 people on both the Mondays her church, Hope Community, has been in charge.
Conceptualized and organized by Mount Shasta’s Tita Klug, the soup kitchen was begun on Nov. 1 and will continue every week throughout the winter.
Each month, a different local church will sponsor the meal, which is offered free to anyone in the community who is hungry.
Carle Punt, 14, said she enjoys volunteering her time at the kitchen.
“I feel fulfilled. I feel like I’m helping the community, and that makes me happy. Plus, I go to home school, so I have the time to do it,” she said.
While Carle served warm bowls of soup to hungry visitors, her mother, Debra Punt, April Denham and Marylin Harrington worked in the kitchen.
Mount Shasta resident and author Sherry Ackerman provided classical music on The Coffee Connection’s piano as Odessa Princess sang along.
“This has been such a huge blessing,” said 23 year old Odessa, who comes for the meal every Monday. “People need to eat, and everyone here is very hospitable. They serve you. This is like going out to a very nice restaurant.”
Odessa said the soup kitchen has made a big difference in her life. “It’s changed me; it’s given me my health. People on the street don’t choose it. It’s not right to blame them,” she said.
Ackerman said she enjoys playing each week for the people who come to eat.
Though she’s not a member of any of the churches sponsoring the meal, she said she likes doing something good for the members of her community.
In November, meals were served by Klug’s church, the Evangelical Free Church. December is being sponsored by the Hope Community Church.
January was claimed by the Church of the Nazarene, February by the Seventh Day Adventist Church, March by the Lake Shastina Bible Church, and April by St. Anthony’s Catholic Church.
Teams of volunteers from each church raise their own funds and provide the food and service, Klug said.
When she made the decision to begin the soup kitchen, Klug said the idea was “God inspired.”
“He just put in on my heart, and the community has responded with such enthusiasm,” she said. “We are here to serve all people.”
Also offered at the soup kitchen are free coats, sweatshirts, mittens, hats and other warm clothes to help people get through the cold days of winter.
Free meals will be available every Monday from 1 to 2 p.m. at The Coffee Connection, 408 Mt. Shasta Boulevard in Mount Shasta.
The doors of The Coffee Connection in Mount Shasta were once again open to everyone on Monday afternoon for the sixth free soup kitchen.
Lynda Jantzer said the turnout has been about 40 people on both the Mondays her church, Hope Community, has been in charge.
Conceptualized and organized by Mount Shasta’s Tita Klug, the soup kitchen was begun on Nov. 1 and will continue every week throughout the winter.
Each month, a different local church will sponsor the meal, which is offered free to anyone in the community who is hungry.
Carle Punt, 14, said she enjoys volunteering her time at the kitchen.
“I feel fulfilled. I feel like I’m helping the community, and that makes me happy. Plus, I go to home school, so I have the time to do it,” she said.
While Carle served warm bowls of soup to hungry visitors, her mother, Debra Punt, April Denham and Marylin Harrington worked in the kitchen.
Mount Shasta resident and author Sherry Ackerman provided classical music on The Coffee Connection’s piano as Odessa Princess sang along.
“This has been such a huge blessing,” said 23 year old Odessa, who comes for the meal every Monday. “People need to eat, and everyone here is very hospitable. They serve you. This is like going out to a very nice restaurant.”
Odessa said the soup kitchen has made a big difference in her life. “It’s changed me; it’s given me my health. People on the street don’t choose it. It’s not right to blame them,” she said.
Ackerman said she enjoys playing each week for the people who come to eat.
Though she’s not a member of any of the churches sponsoring the meal, she said she likes doing something good for the members of her community.
In November, meals were served by Klug’s church, the Evangelical Free Church. December is being sponsored by the Hope Community Church.
January was claimed by the Church of the Nazarene, February by the Seventh Day Adventist Church, March by the Lake Shastina Bible Church, and April by St. Anthony’s Catholic Church.
Teams of volunteers from each church raise their own funds and provide the food and service, Klug said.
When she made the decision to begin the soup kitchen, Klug said the idea was “God inspired.”
“He just put in on my heart, and the community has responded with such enthusiasm,” she said. “We are here to serve all people.”
Also offered at the soup kitchen are free coats, sweatshirts, mittens, hats and other warm clothes to help people get through the cold days of winter.
Free meals will be available every Monday from 1 to 2 p.m. at The Coffee Connection, 408 Mt. Shasta Boulevard in Mount Shasta.
