December 18, 2002
Home-cooking from the heart
Moms of Faith serve spaghetti dinners for Munson Hospitality House residents
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Walking through the door of their temporary home Monday evening, residents of Munson's Hospitality House could tell in one sniff that something was up.
The enticing odors of spaghetti, meatballs and garlic bread wafting from the first floor kitchen and dining area signaled one thing: dinner is served.
Those staying at the Hospitality House because of a family member's medical crisis or procedure welcomed the efforts of some area volunteers after a long day of worry, a long way from home.
"This is so nice, then we don't have to worry about where you're going to eat dinner," said Pat Stretchko of Alpena, who came to the Hospitality House Sunday evening when her husband required emergency medical attention at Munson Medical Center. "My thanks to these ladies from the bottom of my heart, it has done a lot of people good."
The monthly dinners are cooked by members of Moms of Faith, a multi-denominational Bible study group in the area. One evening for the past two months, a four-person team from the group has taken over the group kitchen of the Hospitality House and pulled together a hearty meal for residents.
Pam Fassett, a founding member of Moms of Faith, suggested the idea to her friends, promoting a project that was near and dear to her heart.
Fassett had stayed at a Hospitality House in Grand Rapids three years ago when her infant daughter needed heart surgery. She vividly remembered a home-cooked meal served by church members one night during her stay and wanted to share that kindness with other families in crisis.
"It was such a blessing," Fassett said. "When the Hospitality House came here I brought up the idea to our group and we started in November."
The group chose an Italian menu, including a green salad and drinks plus cookies for dessert. They plan to serve the same menu every month because it is easy to make, well received and the unopened ingredients can be saved for the next month.
"We never know how many to plan for," Fassett said. "We leave the cooked leftovers here for residents."
Moms of Faith members pay for the ingredients out of their own pocket, pleased to be able to contribute.
"They just come in concerned, worried, with fear in their eyes - they are in a stressful situation," Fassett noted. "Just to take away some of that worry and some see a hint of a smile, it's a real blessing."
Connie Nelson, resident coordinator of the Hospitality House, said she had put the word out to the community that volunteers of all kinds were needed and welcome. The facility opened two years ago and has 30 rooms that can accommodate a maximum of 54 guests. Guests are either relatives of patients at Munson Medical Center or people receiving outpatient treatment. The average stay is just over two days.
Nelson noted that most of the time the Hospitality House is full or nearly full and a home-cooked meal can really hit the spot.
"The residents don't feel like fixing something when they come over from the hospital," Nelson said. "If somebody has someone in intensive or critical care, they just don't feel like cooking anything."
Nelson said the idea of volunteers contributing in this way seems to be catching on in the area.
"I've had two other groups also call me about making meals," she noted.
Moms of Faith began six years ago as a way for mothers of young children to get together and share their faith and lives. The members come from a number of churches in the area and meet weekly for Bible study and social time with a dose of mutual support. After averaging seven or eight women at meetings for the first five years, last year twelve women began attending regularly.
"It's nice to get together with a bunch of moms going through the same passages of life," said Annette Block, a member of the group for three years. "We can commiserate with each other and share the same things."
Individuals or groups interested in volunteering at the Hospitality House can contact Connie Nelson at 935-2300.