The Love Your Neighbor (LYN) Meal Team has been hard at work—and the impact is amazing! Over the past two years, our small but mighty group has provided more than 300 meals through 36 different meal trains. That’s hundreds of moments of comfort, encouragement, and love delivered right to doorsteps in our church and community.
Right now, the team is made up of just 10 dedicated volunteers, but their eagerness to serve and love their neighbors means that when a need arises, we’re ready to respond.
Here’s how it works:
- A need comes in—from our church family or the wider community.
- We connect with the individual or family to gather details.
- We create a meal train using MealTrain.com and send it out to our list of volunteers.
- Volunteers pick a date that works for them, prepare a meal, and deliver it straight to the family’s home.
It’s simple—but powerful.
Why Do Our Volunteers Serve?
“I like serving on the Meal Team because it’s something reasonably easy that hopefully blesses a family. I’ve enjoyed the brief interactions with folks, sometimes several times if they need several meals. My husband and I deliver meals together, which helps when the location is farther from home and there are stairs involved and apartments to locate.
I take the same thing to everyone unless there are food restrictions so it’s easy to pull things out of the freezer in a pinch and heat up.”
~ Sandy Ramsey
“Jesus followers are called to the caring for others. There are so many needs in the world—many of these needs I can’t help with. However, making meals I can do.”
~ Jennifer Delemater
“I serve on the meal team because it is a tangible way to show the love of Christ to people during challenging times.”
~ Brenda White
“I was trying to find a way to serve within the church community, as well as beyond the church. While I was in the process of looking and praying about that, the Meal Team was formed. I love to cook. The commitment level was totally do-able. And the rest is history! I love meeting the families to whom we provide food and praying for them is such a privilege.”
~ Gwen Volle
Memorable Moments
Our volunteers don’t just drop off food—they often step into sacred, meaningful moments with the people they serve.
“I took a meal to a woman who is not part of our PRC community. She was the caregiver for her adult son and had many responsibilities for him and her extended family. She met me on her porch and invited me into the tiny apartment she shares with her son. As I unpacked the food, we talked, and she shared a bit of her story. I was overwhelmed by the challenges she faces on any given day! After we had the food, all situated, she walked me back out to the porch, where she insisted I take some basil and tomatoes she was growing in a tiny garden there. She had so little but was so generous to me!”
~ Gwen Volle
“One of our favorite deliveries was repeated a few times for a man who’d had surgery. His mom really wanted to talk to someone and showed us her garden. I think they needed the visit as much as the food.”
~ Sandy Ramsey
“One of my most memorable meal deliveries was to a family who had recently lost a son. I planned to drop the food off at the door as requested, but the whole family was sitting in the garage with the door up. As I walked up, the dad gave me a hug as he took the food. Then I talked with the younger daughter about her new puppy. It was a moment of sweet normalness in the midst of chaos that only God could have ordained.”
~ Brenda White
Why Meals Matter
“There was a time in my family’s life a few years ago when we experienced unexpected trauma, our whole life was disrupted and there was simply not enough time or energy for daily tasks like cleaning, shopping, meal planning, or cooking. We were the recipients of meals given to us by our community and it sustained us. Providing a meal for a person or family in need not only sustains them for a day—like manna did for the Israelites—it shows them that they are not alone and they are not forgotten. They are seen and cared for. That is why bringing meals matters to me.”
~ Tara Custalow
“Bringing a meal is a real way to show the love of Christ to those in need. I have been blessed by delivering meals, seeing how people feel loved and supported in their time of need. Sometimes I’ve had the opportunity to pray with them as well.”
~ Patti Cantwell
“Bringing meals to people is such an amazing way to be there for someone in a tangible way!”
~ Jessica Fawcett
We Need You!
We love this ministry—but we need help to keep it going strong.
Could you:
- Cook a meal once a month?
- Double your family’s dinner and drop half off?
- Pick up a rotisserie chicken and a bagged salad from Costco?
- Send a gift card to a family in need?
You don’t have to be a gourmet chef. You don’t need tons of free time. The only requirement is a willing heart and a warm meal.
If you’d like to learn more or get involved, reach out to us at: meals@loveyourneighborcs.com
Or sign up HERE.
Together, let’s keep showing our neighbors that they are SEEN, KNOWN, and LOVED.
