… cooking together to fight hunger

“I’ll spend 3 hours in the church kitchen once a month to prepare a meal for others because I CAN. I can’t end hunger or poverty all by myself, but this one small thing is something I can do, and it makes me feel better about my place in the world.” – Susanne Sullivan

UUCR members have a long and heartfelt connection with Bread & Roses, a community kitchen and food pantry in Lawrence, that has been providing free meals to those in need for more than 40 years.

Since April of 2013, UUCR volunteers have used our church kitchen to prepare a monthly meal that can feed up to 160 guests.  Currently we gather on the first Saturday of every month at 8:30 in the morning to cook a delicious meal of Pasta Primavera and garlic bread.  One volunteer shops for groceries the day before; a group does the actual cooking; another volunteer drives the meal up to Lawrence, where it is later served to clients in the Bread & Roses dining room.

Over the years some of our volunteers have also helped serve meals at Bread & Roses, washed dishes in their kitchen, sorted donated food in their pantry, served on their Board of Trustees and sent financial support.

The tie between our two organizations is based on shared values:  “Completely supported by private donations, Bread & Roses is guided by a spirit of hospitality nonviolence, and respect for the dignity of each person who comes through our door.”  In the same way, our efforts are entirely voluntary:  the food we cook is funded by donations (most recently via our church’s “Share the Plate” program), and our team members receive nothing but happy fellowship and the satisfaction of doing something good and useful.

We’d love for you to join us at any level of involvement. Please contact our Member Services & Volunteer Coordinator for more information.