About 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, a line formed in the building housing The Alley Street Kitchen on East Second Street in Seymour.
Adults and children waited patiently as volunteers prepared to open the kitchen and serve free meals.
The Alley’s bus soon arrived. When its doors opened, about 25 kids got out.
The day’s menu consisted of hot Swiss chicken salad, green beans and carrots, a fish sandwich, leafy salad with Italian dressing, and cucumber and tomato salad. Pizza — a favorite with the kids — also was available.
None of it would be possible without donations from local businesses, mainly The Pines Restaurant and Pizza Palace in Seymour. The kitchen also receives donations of nonperishable food and money from other local businesses, churches, organizations and individuals.
Any business donating prepared food first must be approved by the health department to do so, kitchen manager Joy Sutherland said. Donations of fresh garden produce or processed or prepackaged meat also can be used.
“There are a lot of regulations that we have to follow,” she said.
For some of those waiting in line, it’s the only hot meal they might eat all day, said Rick Wilson, pastor and founder of The Alley church and kitchen.
One grandmother said if she couldn’t bring her young grandkids to the kitchen, she couldn’t afford to feed them.
A young woman walked away smiling after the meal, saying it was the most food she had eaten in two weeks.
The situation is sad, but it’s the reality many people in the community face every day, Wilson said.
“Poverty and hunger are real,” he said. “And we are trying to address these real needs.”
The kitchen serves an average of 65 people a day, about half of them children.
In December, church volunteers saw that many people didn’t have transportation to get to the kitchen, so they prayed, Wilson said, and ended up with a donated van and then later an old bus from Seymour Harvest Church.
“This is an amazing operation,” Wilson said. “Looking at it on paper, it shouldn’t succeed, but it does.”
But that’s not to say there aren’t plenty of challenges, he added.
“We’ve had every obstacle in front of us you can think of,” he said. “But we don’t ask how we are going to do something. We just find a way because this is what God wants for this community.”
When The Alley Kitchen meal site opened March 1, 2014, there were enough volunteers, donations and people to feed to warrant being open seven days a week. More than a year later, that has changed, and staff recently made the decision to close on weekends.
“We just weren’t seeing very many people on Saturdays and Sundays,” Sutherland said. “And it was difficult to find volunteers to come in on those days.”
Sutherland said it can be difficult to find volunteers because for some people it’s just too difficult to see poverty up close.
“It’s not for everyone,” she said of volunteering at the kitchen.
Volunteer manager Rusty Rutan agreed but said for others, including herself, Sutherland, Matt Fleetwood of Seymour, Kathy Zellner of Seymour and Tina Stark of Brownstown, it’s a calling.
“I really enjoy being here,” Zellner said while arranging pizza on trays. “And times are hard for everyone, so it’s good to be able to help out where I can. It makes me feel good to know we are able to feed people.”
Savannah Garcia of Seymour said she is thankful for The Alley Kitchen because it helps her feed her 11-year-old and 17-month-old daughters.
The family sat at a table and ate Wednesday, with both girls cleaning their plates.
At first, they came every day, Garcia said.
“Until I started working again, and now, I’m able to buy more food to keep at home,” she said.
Rutan said many diners are regulars, but there also are new faces every day.
“The faces change a lot,” she said. “We see older people on Social Security, people on disability, people who are unemployed, young mothers and their kids. We don’t turn anyone away.”
Wilson said the church and kitchen minister to and provide for those most in need — those who are hungry and poor, those who are addicted to drugs or alcohol and those who feel they have nowhere to turn.
“I have never met a group of people more appreciative,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what they’ve done or who they are, they deserve to be treated with dignity because we are all God’s children.”
Rutan said it doesn’t take a specific talent to help at The Alley Kitchen. Sometimes, all that is needed is someone to sit and talk with the kids and adults.
“Every person is useful,” she said. “We get some of our best servers right from the line and these tables.”
Dorothy Lucas volunteered for the first time Wednesday and said she wanted to help out because “it’s the right thing to do.”
“I heard about the ministry here, and as Christians we are to feed the hungry and help the homeless,” Lucas said. “So many churches today aren’t focused on what’s really important, helping and loving each other, no matter what.”
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What: The Alley Kitchen serves free, hot meals for children and adults.
Where: 416 E. Second St., Seymour
When: 4:30 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed Saturday and Sunday
For a ride: Call 812-216-3286 to schedule transportation to and from The Alley Kitchen.
Information: To donate food or money or to volunteer, call Pastor Rick Wilson at 812-525-5858.
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“This is an amazing operation. Looking at it on paper, it shouldn’t succeed, but it does.”
Rick Wilson, pastor and founder of The Alley church and kitchen
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