There is a lot to learn about the impressive Romanesque Revival Second Presbyterian Church, including its collection of Tiffany windows in the sanctuary. The Church, located at 4501 Westminster at Taylor, is currently undergoing some interior renovation, see photo above.
Some readers may be familiar with the classroom space in the lower level of the Education Building, constructed in 1930, as the polling place for two 28th Ward precincts in the CWE. It also houses a food pantry, Good Ground, which has been in existence for over thirty years. On Saturday mornings 18 to 25 families come for groceries and, here's what's unique to this pantry—samples of a healthy recipe. If the clients (who are scheduled to visit the pantry once a month) are interested, they are given the recipe and a bag full of ingredients they'll need to recreate the dish at home.
Jana Sisler and John Leo are co-directors of Good Ground Pantry. The items on the well-stocked shelves above were purchased by the volunteers using monies donated by parishioners and others. Bread-stuffs come from Panera Bread on Forest Park Blvd. which donates end-of-day items to a different organization each day.
Other donations come in the form of fresh produce. One of Second Church's parishioners purchased a share in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and donated it to Good Ground Pantry. CWE Board Member Arthur Culbert also drops off fresh produce from the community garden he and the 4th grade class from New City School cultivate on Waterman. And children at the Washington Montessori School in north St. Louis have planted a garden that benefits the pantry. Neighbors are also invited to drop off excess produce grown in their backyards, see information at end of this post.
Once a month, a nutritionist from Operation Food Search brings a healthy recipe that volunteers help Karen Buckey test and then make for sampling each Saturday. The March selection was "Friendship Soup," above, which included legumes that don't need to be soaked, a spice packet, and a bag of oyster crackers.
A spicy bean salsa was April's selection, above and below. It came with a box of cornbread mix. The volunteers shop at big box stores, or wherever they can get the best prices on the ingredients. In addition to developing the recipe, the nutritionist from Operation Food Search visits Good Ground Pantry once a month to offer advice to the clients on healthy eating. The hope is that with exposure to the good nutritious food Good Ground provides, and follow-up consultation with a nutritionist, the clients' health will improve.
There are lots of ways you can help Good Ground Pantry at Second Presbyterian Church continue its work. To volunteer by handing out samples of the healthy recipe on Saturday mornings, contact KABuckey@gmail.com. If you have excess produce growing in your backyard, bring it to Second Presbyterian Church on Saturday mornings at 9:30, or drop it off in the church office during business hours. Use the entry on the parking lot, there is a buzzer.
And once a month a group of volunteers gets together for "Table Talk," which is a chance to network over dinner. The group meets at a local restaurant–last month it was Duff's–to support a locally-owned restaurant and discuss topics such as local food sources and sustainability. Contact Karen Buckey if you'd like to join Table Talk: KABuckey@gmail.com.
Finally, donations to Good Ground Pantry can be sent to Second Presbyterian Church, 4501 Westminster, 63108. Make the check out to Good Ground Pantry.