Dinner Together was first formed in the basement of the Front Royal Presbyterian Church to meet the ongoing needs of food insecurity in the Warren County area.  Beginning as a sit-down meal each Thursday night, FRPC partnered with other organizations to provide a well-balanced meal and fellowship for guests.

 

In 2020, after much discussion with area churches – First Baptist, Good Shepherd Lutheran and Calvary Episcopal, it was decided to move to a permanent location to remove barriers to food insecurity.  In this way, those needing a meal could always depend on a hot meal Monday – Thursday at the same location – First Baptist Church.

 

The Lutherans, Episcopalians, and Baptists each serve one night a week, while FRPC and partners continue to serve on Thursdays.

 

In addition, on Thursday evenings, approximately 65 meals are delivered to area residents without transportation.

 

Partnerships with area organizations such as Blue Ridge Area Food Bank,  Skyline High School Culinary Class, Rotarians, Methodists, Church of the Brethren, Cisco and many others, we are able to serve approximately 75 guests every evening with an additional 65 on Thursdays.

 

The model of partnering across denominations and involving the community has become a leading model for community food insecurities and is used by the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank as a … for food pantries, dinners and community meals across the state of Virginia.

 

In 2023, the four churches have hired a Dinner Together coordinator that will be responsible for overseeing the entire program.  That position will:

• form the program into a separate 501c-3 that will allow for more funding and greater resources.

• Coordinate serving organizations

• Oversee menus and meals to reduce the duplicity of meals

• Maximize the use of donated resources to minimize costs

 

Front Royal Presbyterian Church continues to be a leader and model for congregations as we use our small resources to build a more substantial and sustaining gift to the community.

 

Thank you to Adrian and Rachel Burt for their continued effort and visioning in making this possible.