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To the Editor:
The “Dinner at 5” free weekly dinner hosted at St. Stephens UCC has been on hiatus due to COVID-19 precautions the last 18 months. As volunteers and, we hope, the majority of those attending the meals have been vaccinated, we are ready to restart the program safely.
We may have to sit a little further apart, but we can enjoy the meal and fellowship once again.
We are tentatively restarting the program on Monday, September 13, at 5:00 p.m. Herman Mitchell, a chef who recently relocated to Merrill, will be planning the meals and coordinating the volunteers.
During the shutdowns, unfortunately, we had to donate much of the frozen food and other staples to other ministries that had immediate need for it. Our cupboards are bare.
We are asking for donations to jumpstart the program. Please send donations to “Dinner at 5” c/o St. Stephens UCC, 903 East 2nd St., Merrill, WI 54452. St. Stephens maintains a separate restricted fund for this community ministry, so all funds are used expressly for those meals.
If any groups or businesses would like to sponsor a meal for $150, we will mention your donation at the meal, on our Facebook page, and in our monthly ad. If anyone would like to volunteer to help prepare, serve, or clean up, please call the church office at 715.536.7322. Most importantly, please come to a meal and offer the gift of fellowship to one another as the community re-awakens.
Thank you,
– Mike Southcombe, Senior Pastor
St. Stephens UCC, Merrill, Wis.
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