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PITTSBURG —
Rev. Ellie Foster is praying for no rain Saturday, and no high winds, either.
“We’re having our garden party from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and serving lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.,” she said. “We sell plants, flats and hanging baskets, priced as marked, but we have really low prices. Lunch is $10.”
The event was started in 2002 as a fundraiser for Wesley House by Gail Deatherage, Cathy Stockard and Vonnie Corsini. Current co-chairmen are Maureen Huerter and Jan Lemert, though they’re dropping hints that this might be their last year.
“We’ll work, but we just don’t want to be in charge any more,” Huerter said.
She’s been involved since the start.
“Cathy called and asked me if I would help, and I said sure,” Huerter said. “I think that first year we ran out of plants. We’ve never run out of food, but we’ve come close.”
Originally, the lunch was served outside under a tent, but was moved indoors several years ago.
“One year a quartet was singing and the wind was blowing so hard that a member of the quartet had to hold down the tent pole,” Rev. Foster said. “I think that was the last year we had it outside.”
Among those providing musical entertainment this year will be pianist Phil Carter and the Tri-Statesmen Barbershop Group.
Lunch menu will feature chicken salad, croissant, pasta salad, fresh fruit and cream puffs. Carry-out orders will be available.
“The food is beautiful and bountiful,” said Marty Beezley, who has been helping with the event since it started.
Huerter said that Deatherage and Stockard passed on the recipes to her.
“I don’t claim any of these recipes,” she said. “The first couple of years we played around with things a little, especially the salad, then the pasta salad became our tried and true.”
Huerter said that plates of cream puffs used to be placed on the tables, but that did not work well.
“People were fighting over the cream puffs,” she said. “I said, ‘Just put three on each plate,’ and that took care of it.”
The lunch committee and helpers will do most of their prep work today at Wesley House.
“We’ll be here in the morning chopping,” Huerter said.
“Some people bring their own knives and choppers,” Lemert said.
They’ve had some issues with bad weather on prep days, too.
Rev. Ellie Foster is praying for no rain Saturday, and no high winds, either.
“We’re having our garden party from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and serving lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.,” she said. “We sell plants, flats and hanging baskets, priced as marked, but we have really low prices. Lunch is $10.”
The event was started in 2002 as a fundraiser for Wesley House by Gail Deatherage, Cathy Stockard and Vonnie Corsini. Current co-chairmen are Maureen Huerter and Jan Lemert, though they’re dropping hints that this might be their last year.
“We’ll work, but we just don’t want to be in charge any more,” Huerter said.
She’s been involved since the start.
“Cathy called and asked me if I would help, and I said sure,” Huerter said. “I think that first year we ran out of plants. We’ve never run out of food, but we’ve come close.”
Originally, the lunch was served outside under a tent, but was moved indoors several years ago.
“One year a quartet was singing and the wind was blowing so hard that a member of the quartet had to hold down the tent pole,” Rev. Foster said. “I think that was the last year we had it outside.”
Among those providing musical entertainment this year will be pianist Phil Carter and the Tri-Statesmen Barbershop Group.
Lunch menu will feature chicken salad, croissant, pasta salad, fresh fruit and cream puffs. Carry-out orders will be available.
“The food is beautiful and bountiful,” said Marty Beezley, who has been helping with the event since it started.
Huerter said that Deatherage and Stockard passed on the recipes to her.
“I don’t claim any of these recipes,” she said. “The first couple of years we played around with things a little, especially the salad, then the pasta salad became our tried and true.”
Huerter said that plates of cream puffs used to be placed on the tables, but that did not work well.
“People were fighting over the cream puffs,” she said. “I said, ‘Just put three on each plate,’ and that took care of it.”
The lunch committee and helpers will do most of their prep work today at Wesley House.
“We’ll be here in the morning chopping,” Huerter said.
“Some people bring their own knives and choppers,” Lemert said.
They’ve had some issues with bad weather on prep days, too.
“A couple of years ago it was flooded down Joplin Street, but we came here anyway and worked,” Beezley said.
On other occasions, Huerter said, workers chopped away during violent thunderstorms and hoped that no tornadoes were around.
There’s a reason why they do this, instead of sensibly huddling in their storm shelters. The volunteers support the mission of Wesley House, which operates the main food pantry in Crawford County, serves a free meal every Thursday, offers a free medical clinic and partners with the Pittsburg Salvation Army to provide Christmas and back-to-school assistance for families in need.
“We’re selling food to buy food,” Huerter said.
Rev. Foster confirmed that the pantry shelves are a little sparse right now, and that garden party proceeds would probably go toward purchasing food for the pantry.
“We’ve been seeing a lot of new families asking for help,” she said. “Some of them are people who used to bring in donations, and they’re so embarrassed, which is sad. I’m also seeing a lot of faces I don’t know at our Thursday dinners.”
Rev. Foster is heartened, though, by the generosity and support Wesley House receives.
“We get a world of support from churches, businesses, civic organizations and the community,” she said. “What amazes me is the wonderful people who just appear and do amazing things. I’m blessed to know the nicest people in southeast Kansas. I get to meet the coolest people, from the homeless to college presidents.”
