Caring and Cooking – NPC Meal Ministry
For more than a decade, when someone from the NPC family was in need of meals due to illness or other problems, a quick call to Linda Crittenden was all it took to get things cooking. Now, with Linda retiring from that job, NPC is moving towards another method of congregational care. But first, a little history.
The current meal program started when deacon coordinator, Cheryl Crysel, had the idea to coordinate with the cooks who regularly volunteered for church events. Cheryl worked with Linda to establish the program. In order to make the meal preparation easier, Linda assigned each cook a dish that they would deliver to the church. A deacon or other volunteer would deliver the steaming dishes. The cooperation among Linda, the cooks, and the delivery person made for a special camaraderie among them.
Working with more than 20 different NPC cooks, Linda would plan meals, often adding her own delicious dishes to the mix. Linda knew the specialties of each cook and would plan meals accordingly. She would also check to see if there were any special dietary needs.
In announcing her retirement, Linda emailed the cooks to express her appreciation for their work over the years and thanked the team for making the process so easy and enjoyable. “I really love catching up while asking for green beans,” she told them.
The cooks enjoyed working with Linda as well. “I’ve always looked forward to calls from Linda,” Rhonda Bailey said. “We chatted and talked about recipes and meal planning. She knew what I liked to cook and was great at planning meals. She even made sure the meal was well balanced and even coordinated the colors of the different vegetables to make sure it would make a good presentation.”
Linda wanted to make sure that the credit for the meals was given to the the cooks, and not her. “It’s all about them,” she humbly said.
Thank you, Linda, for helping plan all of these meals over the years!
Many of the same skillful cooks will still be preparing meals for those that need them, but coordination will now be through the online “mealtrain.com“. An invite will be sent to those interested in helping so they can sign up online to bring a meal. For those that don’t feel comfortable using this method a meal coordinator will help with the process.
If you are interested in helping coordinate or volunteer as a cook or delivery person, please contact Johnny Bailey at jbaileypho@aol.com or at 770-503-4607. If you or someone you know needs help with meals due to illness, surgery or other issues, please contact your deacon.
A heartfelt thank you to Linda, the cooks, delivery volunteers, and our departed angel, Cheryl Crysel, who helped make this ministry possible.
