IN OUR COMMUNITIES
T
Ten thousand and counting!
he Bethlehem Area Moravians (BAM) Freezer Ministry began in 2010 when members of East Hills Moravian Church froze leftovers from church dinners to distribute to those who might appreciate a meal at a later time. In 2016, the ministry collaborated with then student intern, Frank Shipman, and expanded to include cooks from all BAM churches, who would gather in the East Hills kitchen for specific preparation and cooking days and production of a large quantity of meals. The meals went back to the BAM church kitchens and were distributed as needed. These included situations such as neighbors in difficult situations, folks recently hospitalized, those who suffered the loss of a loved one, new parents or those who resided in nearby low-income housing. Cooking five or six full days a year kept the BAM church freezers filled with soups and other comfort foods, including many portions Issue 3 • 2020
of pasta and rice casseroles- easy to reheat and enjoy. Some of the cooks who participated were not Moravians, and perhaps not Christians; some cooks were themselves food recipients from the Freezer Ministry during the past year who had fallen on difficult times. As the need grew in the community and word about the Freezer Ministry spread through the BAM churches and neighborhoods, the number of meals produced exceeded 3,000 servings a year. Realizing the growing need, Bob Wingrove, long-time chef and food guru at East Hills Moravian, connected with Dan Soos, BAM CEO and the executive chef at Moravian Village. Combining their resources, the ministry’s production increased by onethird in a month’s time! In February 2020, BAM provided financial resources as well as a second commercial freezer to the East Hills’ kitchen to help with (Continued on next page) 9
