Come and dine; Welcome Table celebrates 10 years

Feeding a crowd of 300 — not a problem.

Twice a week — up to the challenge.

That’s the mindset of chef Amelia Geis-Scott, who with her band of faithful volunteers serves up a free hot meal every Tuesday at New Providence Presbyterian Church and Thursdays at Maryville First United Methodist.

The program, called The Welcome Table, will celebrate its 10th anniversary next week at New Providence. It’s been a weekly ministry at Maryville First UMC now for eight years.

Geis-Scott started with The Welcome Table seven years ago. Jeff Hutchison and then Tracy Fair were the first two coordinators. Geis-Scott came in with 16 years of experience working for Williams-Sonoma and grew up in a Presbyterian church kitchen where her mother provided lots of culinary expertise.

This past Tuesday night, guests were served up delectable pork chops and apples, scalloped potatoes, green beans and rolls. A dessert tray made its way around the room as diners finished their weekly meal.

Stepping up to

serve others

With the exception of Geis-Scott, it’s all done by a volunteer staff. They come in to cook by 1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. Others arrive to prepare the plates for service. Still others carry plates to the tables and fill glasses. At the end of the night, someone needs to clean up.

Guests can be seated at 5 p.m. and they are served instead of having to go through a buffet line. Many of the attendees are older, Geis-Scott explained. Some are in wheelchairs.

“This ministry is based on hospitality,” Geis-Scott stressed.

As she takes a look around to make sure guests are being attended to and food is getting out, Geis-Scott pointed to many of her volunteers who aren’t from New Providence. There are Maryville High School students, those in the Bonner Scholars program at Maryville College and individuals from all parts of the community. Boy Scouts come to set up tables. A recovery program for men gets involved, too.

“On any given day, I probably have 60 people from start to finish who are here to serve,” she said. “A lot of them have been here since the beginning.”

Take Ruth Durham, for instance. She said she started volunteering shortly after The Welcome Table was established. She was here on Tuesday, serving one of her tables, fetching refills and asking guests about their families.

“I like serving people,” Durham, 83, said. “You get to know people and love them. I know I get more out of this than they do.”

Maryville Police Department Capt. David Graves likewise has served in this ministry as a volunteer from Day 1. As someone who sees the cruelty and tragedies of the world too often, this place brings him to a place where care and compassion are the order of the day.

“I need this more than they need me,” he said. “This gives me back my humanity.”

The seeds are planted

Taking their rightful places during the dinner service is Pam Bunde and Patty Quinn, whose hearts for their community are the very reason The Welcome Table exists.

Bunde said New Providence Presbyterian Church’s pastor, the Rev. Emily Anderson, preached a sermon years ago about feeding the hungry. A downtown church had just announced it was ending its food program after many years.

This community advocate said she knew her church could take up such a project. She and Quinn, a friend who also attends New Providence, began putting together a plan.

For Quinn, this was an opportunity to pay it forward — her own parents were the recipients of great hospitality by a church where they lived.

After months of working with different committees, Sunday school classes and church leaders, The Welcome Table was set. Bunde and Quinn remember opening night.

“We so over-loved the 18 people that came that we were surprised they came back,” Quinn said. “We had more servers and workers than guests.”

But that 18 grew to 50 and then to 100 and now more than 200. Geis-Scott said when she came seven years ago, attendance was about 125. It rises to 300 on many nights. Service at Maryville First UMC also has increased in the eight years it has been in existence.

“Between both churches, I am doing about 24,000 plates per year,” the chef said.

A lot with a little help

Geis-Scott is on the staff at Maryville First UMC. In addition to providing food each Thursday for The Welcome Table there, she does the meals for its Celebrate Recovery program and other gatherings.

She keeps The Welcome Table meals at a cost of less than $3 per plate. That is possible because of the donations from restaurants like Ruby Tuesday. Geis-Scott also gets donations from Honey-Baked Ham. Fresh

produce comes in, too.

When she first started, this chef said she planned her meals at least a month in advance; not any more. She takes a look around on Monday morning at what she has on hand and goes with it.

“It’s best to keep it simple,” Geis-Scott said. “We serve comfort food. And I always have plenty of peanut butter and jelly for kids.”

While the doors open at 5 p.m., there are those who will show up for this free meal and fellowship as early as 2 p.m. when the hallway is available. Volunteers said there are homeless individuals who spend much of their time outside, which can be overbearingly hot, rainy or freezing.

Regan Monday, Jasmine Lansden, Tatyania Watts, Hayley Jeffers and Tiara Kemp know how much this weekly meal means to them and others. They are Bonner Scholars from Maryville College, students who are required to give back through community service.

They all chose The Welcome Table because of the frontlines work. They can see the direct results of their service, including children with smiles on their faces enjoying what might be their only hot meal of the day.

Watts and Jeffers are both juniors and have been giving of their time at The Welcome Table since they were freshmen. “The first time I came here, I fell in love with this ministry,” Jeffers said.

Kemp, a nursing major from Maryville, said she knows of no better way to be a community servant. “This also helps me become a more well-rounded citizen,” she said.

Sweet ending to the day

Over at the dessert table, Denise Vogado, Janice Utt and Eva Carpenter were busy getting sweets on trays to offer guests. They all have been volunteering with this ministry from the get-go. They said members of New Providence who can’t always be present on Tuesdays will bake cakes instead. Members of Monte Vista Baptist Church also make sure there are desserts on the table. On any given night, 17 are needed.

Shuttles are even provided for residents of both Maryville Towers and Broadway Towers. The bus service is provided to New Providence on Tuesdays and Maryville First UMC on Thursdays.

On Tuesday, Sept. 11, The Welcome Table will celebrate 10 years at New Proovidence. Geis-Scott said they will have cake and balloons and a favorite meal of garlic chicken.

Anyone who wants to attend this weekly dinner is invited. There is no sign-up or donation jar to pass around. No one’s church affiliation is questioned.

And after a full day of meal preparation, where does Geis-Scott go at the end of the evening? Home to prepare a meal for her own family. That can be easier said than done.

“I can’t cook for four,” she said, laughing. “It is a disaster. My oldest son asked me to make enchiladas. I had casserole dishes everywhere. He said ‘what are you doing?’ I just told him I would just have to freeze some.”