HUNTLEY, Minn. – It started out as a clever way to promote a soon-to-be-published community cookbook.
Nina Patten had put together the Huntley Community Cookbook with recipes from folks all around and connected to a one-square-block area in Huntley, Minn., northwest of Blue Earth off Interstate 90. She also sits on the Evangelism and Outreach Committee at Community Covenant Church in Huntley.
For a time, the church had provided supper on Wednesday nights for families as they rushed about from activity to activity, including Wednesday night church activities for kids and adults. Over time, that practice fell out with no one to take the lead on it.
With the finished cookbook due to arrive in October 2015, Patten wondered if resurrecting the Wednesday night church suppers might be fun to tease the cookbook's arrival, and maybe drum up a sale or two.
Others at the church were receptive to the idea and Wednesday Night Community Suppers got their start in fall 2015. Patten and a team of volunteers started cooking up soups, hot dishes, side dishes and desserts from the cookbook for anyone who came through for a warm meal. It was supposed to be a six-week run.
"It went over really well and it fit the need of the families bringing kids to activities and the community," Patten said.
Eating recipes from the cookbook and having the book there brought new connections between food, history and the community, Patten said.
Wednesday Night Community Suppers were a hit.
"We continued through the holidays and decided to keep going," Patten said.
The free-will offering meals are held any Wednesday evening there are activities at the church. The offerings cover the cost of the meals, but even if they didn't, the church would run them anyway since it's such a great community builder. There __have been probably 65 or 70 Wednesday Night Community Suppers since this idea got started, Patten said.
Food is served from 5:30 until 6:15. That seems to be a good window to allow families to get home from work or school or daycare, but before activities get started at church. Without the suppers, it can be quite the crunch for young families to get something to eat those evenings, Patten said.
Patten plans the menus and cooks and cleans up along with a dedicated group of volunteers, some affiliated with the church and some not.
"I __have a great team of people who help get the food done and served and cleaned up," Patten said. "We enjoy great fellowship in the kitchen."
Her right-hand people are Debbie Erickson and Dave Oothoudt.
Erickson drives 15 miles from Fairmont to help out every week. She recently made a beef stroganoff that went over very well, Patten said. Erickson takes the lead on the suppers when Patten and her husband, Sam, spend some time in Florida each winter.
Oothoudt has experience on his side. He spent time doing similar community meal outreach at another church. He is very helpful with getting meals prepped and ready to serve.
Newspaper advertisements and word of mouth help bring 50 to 60 people through the line each week. It's a mix of church families and people from around Huntley, Patten said. Wednesday Night Community Suppers offer a no-pressure way people can get out and have a warm meal and interact with some of their neighbors. A couple meals even get delivered to those who have a hard time leaving their homes.
To make the meal feel like home, they use real dishes and silverware. Thinking sustainably is part of what makes Wednesday Night Community Suppers work, Patten said. She tries to only buy what is needed and to not throw anything away unless she has to. If there is extra food, people are welcome to take an extra meal.
For older community members, the suppers can be an opportunity to have something they may not otherwise fix for themselves due to portion practicality, like the Swedish meatballs Patten recently served.
Meals have featured everything from spaghetti to Chinese food to grilled cheeses made hot to order. Tacos and nachos are popular and are often accompanied by tres leches cake. They've also had French bread pizza and tomato soup.
While many menu items have come from the Huntley Community Cookbook, Patten has expanded the menu to include other recipe sources, recently making baked chicken drumsticks for the first time.
One of the most memorable meals Patten has been part of was a baked potato bar. The potatoes they used came from a garden Community Covenant's Sunday school children planted and cared for next door to the church. Zinnias from the Sunday school garden also made their way onto Wednesday Night Community Supper tables when they were in full bloom.
"I like to try new things and I don't want it to just be something that people think is just good enough to get by," Patten said. "I want people to feel that someone cares."
She tries to be sure to bake bread or desserts at the church for the warm, welcoming smell they impart.
Patten grew up in a home that was always open to all.
"My mother was one of those people where there was always a place at the table for whoever showed up," Patten said. "That's how I raised my family. My kids all enjoy cooking and enjoy the fellowship and the experience of sharing food with people."
Her mother was also a great cook, taking cattle, poultry and a vegetable garden and turning it into good meals every day.
"I always say I have the spiritual gift of food," Patten said. "My inspiration comes from her."
While Patten doesn't get to sit much during the suppers, she is heartened by the fellowship she sees happening among those who come out to eat.
"Something I love to do is just watch the people interact with each other," Patten said. "They're eating and visiting with each other around the table. If they're lonely, if the parents are tired, everybody brings a different thing to that room. We try to have people enjoy the experience, the visit and the food."
