Elaine Jacone – Plainfield UMC Member
The folks who attended worship in New Day Praise January 5th received a word to reflect upon in 2025. My word: invite. As Pastor Abby invited me to share my story here, I extend the ‘invite’ to you to step into my life and how I ended up involved in our church kitchen!
Like many kids I grew up with, I baked cookies and participated in 4-H where I earned an award of merit for my attempt at a Swedish fruit roll! It wasn’t until I moved away from home that I discovered how much I enjoyed baking/cooking. I had every kitchen gizmo/ gadget. I baked bread, desserts, three-course meals and there was always a pot of soup on the stove. Now there was only so much baking /soup that could be eaten, so I began to take food to work on a regular basis. When I didn’t bring in something, I heard complaints!
Even on camping trips I would make soup from scratch and spend evenings giving leftovers to fellow campers; I didn’t know how to make a small pot of soup. I was fond of using the three-legged cast iron skillet over a fire – I even made biscuits on top of it!
That all came to an abrupt halt when I had kids and found they were happy with, and actually preferred, mac and cheese from a blue box. When I became divorced and a single mom, I really appreciated those blue boxes!
Fast forward to retirement: I wanted something worthwhile to do, so I started helping with the homeless outreach Monday afternoons here at PUMC. This is a real operation: from donations to purchasing to prepping and delivery, it all has to work together or there is no food to deliver. I started by chopping and dicing for soup or baking biscuits. I did help deliver, but felt more confident assisting in food prep.
Remembering those blue boxes of mac and cheese and how much I appreciated when someone would share a home cooked meal with me, I then reached out to help with our Last Saturday Lunch. This group encouraged me to take on planning and cooking the meal for 100 folks. Instead of calling that first meal a disaster, I refer to it as a learning experience. I had many learning experiences along the way. My meal organization skills improved and I made true friends over time. I even learned to operate the dishwasher much to the delight of the women who organized bereavement meals. When LSL expanded to Second Saturday Lunch, I stepped up to cook on a regular basis.
When COVID hit, everything changed. Saturday meals were placed on hold; the homeless outreach continued, but fewer folks participated and we worked in shifts to provide social distancing. Shortly after this, Phil Heffelman retired as the soup(er) chef. I became one of the four teams that took over. Yes – it took four teams to fill in for one Phil! Between dropping off supplies/cooking for the Monday downtown and Saturday lunch programs, I am in the kitchen A LOT and wouldn’t have it any other way!
Because of these food-based missions, I have witnessed God’s love in action. Whenever the funds get low, a huge donation is received. It’s a blessing and a gift – a sign of God’s presence – to be able to serve folks, like the one very hungry gentleman who came inside because he saw the sign outside about free lunch, to see folks picking up meals for their neighbors to ensure they have been fed. Where is God “inviting” you to offer your talents and time, the fruits of your hobbies or interests, to learn and grow so you might help others experience the loving presence of God?
Plainfield UMC Today 