“It’s Italian night,” Brandenburg said. “Everybody’s happy on Italian night.”
Brandenburg, with his wife Lauren, run the 1 Eighty Ministries, one of several groups bringing food to the hungry in Lebanon. A joint network of several churches in Lebanon offers a free meal four days a week, with hope that it will soon cover every day.
The idea began with Ed Wheeland who for three and a half years – working in conjunction with the Praise and Worship Center – is running a weekly free community meal on Saturdays in downtown Lebanon.
Wheeland said he was inspired by God to start a soup kitchen and knew he was on the right path when he shared the vision with his wife and she told him she had the same idea.
Wheeland said for a long time his kitchen served about 60 people, but in recent years, as the economy worsened, the number swelled to around 100 diners.
“I think it’s a real eye opener for people that there are still needs like this, even in an area like Lebanon,” said the Rev. Joe Shutts of the New Freedom Church.
New Freedom holds a weekly Thursday Lunch and the nearby Lebanon Presbyterian Church provides a weekly Monday dinner using its kitchen.
In March, New Freedom celebrated it’s first anniversary of weekly free lunches with a cake baked by Dale Foley, who handles cooking and food prep every week.
Even though the free meals are aimed at the needy, anybody is welcome at the dinner free of charge.
“If you were a millionaire and you came in, I would give you a meal, no charge,” Wheeland said.
“Some people come in because they are hungry, but others just are lonely and like the company,” said Lauren Brandenburg.
Jamie Brandenburg said they receive food from a number of different churches and local donors, but has never seen a night at 1 Eighty kitchen where he worried about where the food would come from.
“I’m just happy I get to serve people in need,” Brandenburg said. “It was something the Lord asked us to do and so that’s what we’re doing. The Lord always provides.”
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