Site search
sponsored by
News
ENLARGE
Roseburg Little Caesars franchise owner Bruce Brower brings pizzas into the St. Joseph Community Kitchen in Roseburg. Little Caesars provided pizza meals for about 100 people at the community kitchen on Tuesday.
Kitchen offers dinners twice a week
St. Joseph Community Kitchen has been providing free dinners to the needy for 24 years, coordinator Leo Tresselle said.
“We serve over 11,000 meals a year,” he said. To be eligible for the meals, the kitchen asks “nothing, nada. We don't ask any questions. We don't ask them to pray. We don't require them to listen to a sermon. The emphasis is on community kitchen ... exactly what we denote by the name.”
The 501(c) 3 nonprofit kitchen, however, is run under the charter of the nearby St. Joseph Catholic Church.
On average, 80 to 100 people come to the dinners at 4:30 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. The kitchen only closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
After dinner on Thursdays, the kitchen distributes clothing and toiletries donated by St. Vincent de Paul.
Tresselle and a cook are paid, but about 40 volunteers help serve the meals. About 50 percent of the program's funding comes from the Cow Creek Indian Foundation and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. Another 15 to 20 percent comes from St. Joe's parishioners.
Other financial supporters include the Greater Douglas United Way, the Ford Family Foundation and the Nobel Goettel Foundation.
An affiliated community kitchen is offered Mondays and Wednesdays at St. Francis Catholic Church in Sutherlin.
The community kitchen is always looking for volunteers, Tresselle said. For more information, call 440-6972.
“We serve over 11,000 meals a year,” he said. To be eligible for the meals, the kitchen asks “nothing, nada. We don't ask any questions. We don't ask them to pray. We don't require them to listen to a sermon. The emphasis is on community kitchen ... exactly what we denote by the name.”
The 501(c) 3 nonprofit kitchen, however, is run under the charter of the nearby St. Joseph Catholic Church.
On average, 80 to 100 people come to the dinners at 4:30 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. The kitchen only closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
After dinner on Thursdays, the kitchen distributes clothing and toiletries donated by St. Vincent de Paul.
Tresselle and a cook are paid, but about 40 volunteers help serve the meals. About 50 percent of the program's funding comes from the Cow Creek Indian Foundation and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. Another 15 to 20 percent comes from St. Joe's parishioners.
Other financial supporters include the Greater Douglas United Way, the Ford Family Foundation and the Nobel Goettel Foundation.
An affiliated community kitchen is offered Mondays and Wednesdays at St. Francis Catholic Church in Sutherlin.
The community kitchen is always looking for volunteers, Tresselle said. For more information, call 440-6972.
|
ENLARGE
|
Eldon Parsons of Roseburg eats a slice of the pizza provided Tuesday by the Little Caesars Love Kitchen at St. Joseph Community Kitchen. The Detroit-based pizza chain has operated the international Love Kitchen program since 1985.
|
“Are we having pizza today?” the man asked, as he stopped his bicycle by Leo Tresselle.
“Yep,” Tresselle answered, standing in front of the former St. Joseph School on Stanton Street in Roseburg.
As the two talked, Bruce Brower walked toward the school's front door. The franchisee of Roseburg's Little Caesars pizza parlor, Brower clutched a stack of boxes filled with fresh-baked pizzas.
The cyclist was one of about 100 people who came to St. Joseph Community Kitchen at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. The diners, many of whom come to the twice-weekly free dinners on a regular basis, had a special meal Tuesday.
The Little Caesars Love Kitchen had rolled into the community kitchen's parking lot. And Brower and Doug Ruthven, the Love Kitchen's “road manager,” were making pepperoni pizzas on the spot.
The Love Kitchen has shared its pizza bounty with the local community kitchen about every other year for about 12 years, Brower said. He donates his time and the local franchise donates the pizza makings for the occasion.
“I live in the community,” he gave as his reason for taking part. “That's it. We've gotta work together to make it work.” Earlier in the afternoon, the Love Kitchen had fed about 75 people at United Community Action Network's Roseburg office.
Ruthven said Detroit-based Little Caesars rolled out the Love Kitchen program in 1985. Since then, it's donated enough pizzas to feed 2 million hungry people in 48 states and Canada.
Inside the local community kitchen, people filed past volunteers who dished out the pizza coupled with garbanzo bean salad, green salad and watermelon, supplied by the community kitchen.
About 25 people ate and socialized around school cafeteria-style tables in the bright and airy gym of the former school.
“I think it's awesome,” said diner Glenn Dunning Jr. of the pizza donation. A former certified chef whose cooking days were cut short by a medical condition, he said he'd love to get a look inside the Love Kitchen and see how the pizzas are churned out.
He said he and his fiancee, Brenda Abbott, come to the community kitchen on a regular basis. “It's good, healthy food,” Abbott said.
“It's a great place. I've gotten to know the people here,” Dunning said. “Usually I go in and say thank you for dinner,” he added, nodding his head toward volunteers manning the kitchen.
“I love pizza,” said diner Bill Cantwell, sitting next to the motorized scooter that got him there. Another regular community kitchen diner, Cantwell said the program is “wonderful for people like me that wouldn't get much to eat. I'm disabled.”
He said it was a godsend for “all the low-income who don't have the money to stock up food.”
Vera Nance said the pizza was delicious. A cook at the Roseburg Senior Center, Nance said she's come to the community kitchen regularly for 10 years.
“I think it's great,” she said. “It's got good food. ... I've met a lot of good people. I've made a lot of good friends. Now I'm still making friends.”
“We couldn't get by without it,” Nance added.
• You can reach reporter Kathy Korengel at 957-4218 or by e-mail at kkorengel@nrtoday.com.
“Yep,” Tresselle answered, standing in front of the former St. Joseph School on Stanton Street in Roseburg.
As the two talked, Bruce Brower walked toward the school's front door. The franchisee of Roseburg's Little Caesars pizza parlor, Brower clutched a stack of boxes filled with fresh-baked pizzas.
The cyclist was one of about 100 people who came to St. Joseph Community Kitchen at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. The diners, many of whom come to the twice-weekly free dinners on a regular basis, had a special meal Tuesday.
The Little Caesars Love Kitchen had rolled into the community kitchen's parking lot. And Brower and Doug Ruthven, the Love Kitchen's “road manager,” were making pepperoni pizzas on the spot.
The Love Kitchen has shared its pizza bounty with the local community kitchen about every other year for about 12 years, Brower said. He donates his time and the local franchise donates the pizza makings for the occasion.
“I live in the community,” he gave as his reason for taking part. “That's it. We've gotta work together to make it work.” Earlier in the afternoon, the Love Kitchen had fed about 75 people at United Community Action Network's Roseburg office.
Ruthven said Detroit-based Little Caesars rolled out the Love Kitchen program in 1985. Since then, it's donated enough pizzas to feed 2 million hungry people in 48 states and Canada.
Inside the local community kitchen, people filed past volunteers who dished out the pizza coupled with garbanzo bean salad, green salad and watermelon, supplied by the community kitchen.
About 25 people ate and socialized around school cafeteria-style tables in the bright and airy gym of the former school.
“I think it's awesome,” said diner Glenn Dunning Jr. of the pizza donation. A former certified chef whose cooking days were cut short by a medical condition, he said he'd love to get a look inside the Love Kitchen and see how the pizzas are churned out.
He said he and his fiancee, Brenda Abbott, come to the community kitchen on a regular basis. “It's good, healthy food,” Abbott said.
“It's a great place. I've gotten to know the people here,” Dunning said. “Usually I go in and say thank you for dinner,” he added, nodding his head toward volunteers manning the kitchen.
“I love pizza,” said diner Bill Cantwell, sitting next to the motorized scooter that got him there. Another regular community kitchen diner, Cantwell said the program is “wonderful for people like me that wouldn't get much to eat. I'm disabled.”
He said it was a godsend for “all the low-income who don't have the money to stock up food.”
Vera Nance said the pizza was delicious. A cook at the Roseburg Senior Center, Nance said she's come to the community kitchen regularly for 10 years.
“I think it's great,” she said. “It's got good food. ... I've met a lot of good people. I've made a lot of good friends. Now I'm still making friends.”
“We couldn't get by without it,” Nance added.
• You can reach reporter Kathy Korengel at 957-4218 or by e-mail at kkorengel@nrtoday.com.
