How Two Christian Guys Inspired Churches To Give Free Dinners
Jesus fed the hungry. Two church guys who follow the Lord also wanted to feed the hungry like He did, and so they started to host a once-a-month dinner that feeds the hungry. Now, eight years into the project, they are inspiring other churches to do the same.
Matt Rhead and Joe Ryan, members of St. Charles Episcopal Church in Illinois, started to host Two Guys and Free Spaghetti dinners in 2009, the Daily Herald reports. They wanted to give families a way to have affordable night outs during the recession, and so began to host dinners every month.
Event organizer Kathy Hari told the Daily Herald that at the start, Rhead and Ryan fed a few dozen people once a month, paying for the meals from their own pockets. As the church formed partnerships in the community and grew its volunteer base, the dinner crowd also grew.
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Now, Two Guys and Free Spaghetti averages about 150 guests per month. So far, the event has served enough spaghetti and meatballs to feed an estimated 11,500 people – reaching this number as it celebrated its eighth anniversary on March 25. More than 35 crew members helped prepare for the anniversary dinner.
Rhead and Ryan's idea of serving free meals on a monthly basis inspired other churches in the Fox Valley to follow suit.
"People have picked up the mantle," Rhead said. "Little by little, we're starting to effect some meaningful change in our community. I think it's one of the biggest accomplishments we've had."
Now, several churches are holding their own free dinners. Shortly after Two Guys started, Gayle Taylor of the United Methodist Church of Geneva reached out to Rhead and started her church's own Third Tuesday Supper which is free to the public.
While the Two Guys crew serves free spaghetti, Taylor's crew serves various meals, Beth Kucera, co-chair of Third Tuesday Suppers, told the Daily Herald.
Other churches inspired by Two Guys and Free Spaghetti include Bethany Lutheran Church in Batavia, St. Mark's Lutheran Church in St. Charles, Fox Valley Presbyterian Church in Geneva, and Burlington Methodist Church.
Rhead said the churches hold their free dinners on separate days so that residents will get more free meals every month.
