Way Cool Potluck Pictures and Comments

Families came to be a part of this truly wonderful Christmas meal at Wayside Christian Mission. Volunteers from all over the community came with their favorite dishes and served them up to the homeless and hungry of our community. The Mission's residents were pleasantly surprised to have a home cooked meal (although it came from many homes) this Christmas. We are truly grateful for all who cooked or came to serve our Way Cool Potluck. It really put the "home" in the holidays for our residents.





Great care was taken to fill the plates that would be served. Volunteers began arriving at 4:30 AM and worked till closing about 7:00 PM. One family of four arrived and asked if I remembered them. They had stayed at the Mission nearly 16 years earlier when their 18 year old daugter, who was also lending a hand, was only 2. Also helping was their son now 16, then born to a mother residing at Wayside. They said they wanted to give back to a place that had helped them during a trying time.


Carving and laying out the ham and turkey was a big chore as over 100 turkeys were served. Both our 822 East Market Street kitchen and our 432 East Jefferson Street kitchen were in full swing serving separate but similar meals. Much of the food had to be prepared at the newly opened kitchen on Jefferson Street which served as a drop off point for the donated prepared dishes. A city inspector made a final inspection of the newly installed vent hood system on Friday, giving us approval to use the kitchen equipment. A health department inspector followed giving us the go ahead to use the kitchen on Christmas day.



There are many wonderful people in this community who made the Potluck possible. Several of our new but used kitchen stoves were not w0rking and thanks be to God, several people stepped up to solve the problems. Ladyfingers Catering service let us use their 4 compartment portable convection ovens, and Reliable Mechanical leaders secured a generator to run the ovens and helped get them to Jefferson Street. Bob, a wonderful volunteer, worked nearly full time for two weeks making sure we had the electrical needed to make the day a success. Vanco loanded us a refrigerated trailer to store all the prepared dishes. Many others had their hand in the potluck which was just about as successful as it could have been.

WONDERFUL WAY COOL POTLUCK!!!

Thanks to all that made this Christmas a wonderful experience for many homeless and hungry coming to the Mission for a Christmas meal.  The reality was that not only did they get a wonderful home cooked meal they also received a loving smile and first class service.  Both our Market Street and Jefferson Street dining rooms were filled with volunteers and people needing a Christmas meal and a word of good cheer.  I can not tell you how many men and women came to me and just said “thanks for making this Christmas day so nice for us”, and everyone I spoke with was blown away by the wonderful food that had been prepared by willing hands.   I will give a more detailed report on the activities tomorrow with pictures of the Way Cool Potluck!

 

Merry Christmas to all and a big thanks to the wonderful cooks and volunteers that shared their Christmas making this holy day “way cool” for so many in need.  Let’s make the Way Cool Potluck a tradition.

 

Tim

Your generosity toward the Way Cool Potluck has been overwhelming!

Dishes are coming in for the Way Cool Potluck to serve the homeless on Christmas day. The generosity of the community on this project has been overwhelming! We now have commitments for all turkeys, hams, side dishes, and desserts needed for this Way Cool feast! Folks who still want to pitch in with us are more than welcome to bring two-liter soft drinks, rolls and breads, or breakfast foods. On Christmas morning we will serve a holiday breakfast starting with eggs to order, and ending with pancakes, biscuits and gravy, fruit, and more. We can use some additional packages of bacon, sausage links, and pancake syrup for the Christmas breakfast.

If you'd still like to know another way you can really help us, please visit http://www.waysidechristianmission.org/donate.htm and give whatever you can give through our secure Paypal donation button. In keeping our homeless warm, our LG&E bill for December alone is $25,697.94. We welcome any donations toward relieving this extraordinary expense.

Christmas week is always such an amazing one here at the Mission! God's love is manifested through the work of volunteers and the generosity of so many donors. Groups and families who have sponsored homeless families have been bringing their gifts in all day, getting ready for the traditional Christmas Eve Santa Party for the shelters. Yesterday, University of Louisville Hospital's business office brought in bags of socks, toiletries and even sleeping bags for the homeless men. Many other groups have brought in needed hats, gloves, scarves and Blanket Louisville brought 125 blankets to the Mission.

Miracle on Market Street, the Mission's free Christmas Shop, has operated all week, supplying over 6,000 individuals with toys, gloves and hats, household items, and food for the holiday. Through the generosity of UPS, each food basket contained a canned ham this year. Hundreds of volunteers have given of their time to escort parents while shopping, wrap their gifts, and to restock the store. Carol Cook has volunteered her time and efforts for several years now to coordinate and operate the Miracle on Market Street, making sure that homeless and needy families have a bright holiday.

With the help of many groups in the community, the families, men, and women in our shelter have enjoyed a week full of blessings! Iroquois Presbyterian Church held their traditional Christmas party for the men in the shelter this week. The children have been treated to parties by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Highland Baptist Church, Graceland Baptist Church, New Hope Lifeline Ministries, and Radcliff Church of God. Truly the Love of God has been shared and their holidays are bright ones, even in the midst of a homeless shelter! I thank God daily for those helping us do God's work!

God Bless you all! May your holidays be safe, happy and blessed!

Rev. Tim Moseley

Side Dishes Needed and the Miracle is Starting

Thanks to the help of many good hearted people we are making great progress on the community’s largest Way Cool pot luck.  This is where we stand at the end of Friday.

• Turkey Commitment 74 – we need 26 more turkeys
• Ham Commitment 8 – we need 12 more hams
• Side Dish Commitment 153 – we need 147-247 more side dishes
• Dessert Commitment 108 – we need about 92 more desserts
• Estimated number of meals to be served Christmas Day 2000!

This pot luck is really coming together!  We have one more week to get our numbers where we need them.  Ask your family, friends and church members to join in and prepare a side dish.  I know that most of the great cooks in town have a favorite side dish and that is what we are looking for this Christmas.  There is great satisfaction in cooking a good dish but that can be multiplied many times over by sharing that special side dish with someone in need.  The opportunity is here and the burden of preparing the 2000 meals on Christmas day will be shared by many.  All it takes is an extra dish and it will be appreciated more than you can imagine.

Year after year I have witnessed the joy and smiles as our guests see what others do for them on the holidays.  I can only imagine that this year with the WAY COOL pot luck that the smiles will be many and the surprise of a delicious home cooked meal rewarding not only for our guests but for those who share their cooking talents by preparing their favorite family delight.  And just yesterday Nina had a call from Pat Day who has decided to come down to the Mission on Christmas day and help serve the city’s best meal in town.  His wife has also agreed to cook a deep fried turkey (Pat reports it is delicious and a family tradition).

Today, Nina had the opportunity to speak with Jeff Tang of Wave 3 and the Metro News (Radio) Network sharing about the Way Cool Pot Luck. Last week she was interviewed on WHAS 11 TV, Monday on WJIE Christian Radio and Wednesday the 14^th  WLKY Channel 32 and Wave 3 all allowing her to speak about the pot luck and the Miracle on Market Street.  The Miracle on Market Street is the Mission’s Christmas Store that has been operating for one week prior to Christmas for the past 16 years.  The store is set up in the Child Development Center and individual rooms act as different departments for toys and clothing.  Parents are able to shop in the store in much the same way that others would in a regular store, however, there is no cash register or credit card machine anywhere: all is free to the needy families of our community.  We were able to serve about 6,000 individuals last year.  Many of our residents have also been sponsored this year.  Sponsorship involves pairing needy families that are currently in the shelter or who are past residents with sponsoring families, individuals, companies or churches that focus on the direct needs of the individuals in the family, helping many to have the best Christmas they have ever had, not only in terms of gifts but in terms of love and concern.

The Miracle on Market Street opens on Saturday morning and will operate until Christmas Eve, closing on Sunday.  Volunteers are still needed to help with the operation and we also need TOYS to keep the store open.  Carol Cook, our organizing volunteer, has been freely giving her time for many years to enlist the support of everyone she knows, making sure many children are provided for each Christmas.

Today, I was at our J’town Bargain Center and was stopped by a couple that introduced themselves and told me that they had donated a refrigerator to help open our homeless child care center back in the late 80’s.  Not long after, a lady who was shopping came up recognizing me and wrote a two hundred dollar check to the Mission.  There are so many wonderful people in our community that make the ministry of Wayside a reality.  Remember that the winter months stretch our resources each year and your support is always needed.  If you have not made a year-end donation, consider sending a check to Wayside Christian Mission, PO Box 7249, Louisville, KY 40257-0249 or use your credit card and donate through PAYPAL on our home page by selecting the donate button.

 

 

 

 

WAY COOL Pot Luck Gaining Speed

What a difference a day has made as we continue to add helpers to prepare a super wonderful meal for the hungry and homeless of our community.  Here is where we stand:

• Turkey Commitment 28 – we need 72 more turkeys
• Ham Commitment 3 – we need 17 more hams
• Side Dish Commitment 50 – we need 250 more side dishes
• Dessert Commitment 12 – we need about 188 more desserts
• Estimated number of meals to be served Christmas Day 2000!

 

Hey, this is easy!  When you decide what special dish you will prepare for your Christmas meal add a portion for 8-10 people and completely prepare it just like you would for your family and friends.  Then drop it off at the Mission, 432 East Jefferson Street, in a disposable pan on Christmas Eve or on Christmas day before 11 AM.  Let us know what you are planning by emailing me at Tim@waysidechristianmission.org. We would like your phone number, mailing address and email address so that we can keep you updated and communicate if necessary.

 

For nearly 21 years I have supervised the Christmas meal at the Mission.  We have had the good fortune of getting a lot of community support of the basics to cook the meal.  Kentucky Harvest has been a life saver when it comes to helping supply the food.  This year I wanted something that our residents would remember.  I remember the great meals my mother prepared as a young boy and later young adult.  Of course, at Christmas the home cooked meals were even more special.  So why not do this for the many guests we serve.  We can cook and serve an institutional meal but we cannot do home cooking.  But you can.  Join Nina and me this year and help us prepare a super wonderful home cooked meal for the homeless and hungry of our community.

 

This is a WAY COOL pot luck! 

Way Cool PotLuck Update, Wed. 12-14

Louisville Largest PotLuck Update   -- We Still Need Your Help, Kentuckiana!

Here's what we have committed followed by what we need:

• Turkeys 28 – we need 72 more turkeys
• Hams 2 - we need 18 more hams
• Side Dishes 14 – we need about 300 more side dishes

• Desserts 12 cakes and 1 general dessert – we need about 200 desserts

We are inviting our community to help us put together a WAY COOL potluck to serve our city’s hungry and homeless a super wonderful meal on a day that can be difficult when one is down on their luck.  Daily we serve about 1,400 meals but on Christmas we plan for about 2,000 throughout the day. 

We need your help!  Please call us at 742-9715 or 345-6080. 

WAY COOL POT LUCK NEEDS HELP!

We are all looking forward to a WAY COOL Christmas this year as we will not only be accommodating hundreds of guests, but also inviting volunteers to help with the area’s largest Christmas POT LUCK.  Historically, the Mission has asked for assistance with donated frozen turkeys and side dishes to help with the holiday meal but this year we are trying something different.  We are inviting our community to help us put together a WAY COOL pot luck to serve our city’s hungry and homeless a super wonderful meal on a day that can be difficult when one is down on their luck.  We want hundreds of Mission helpers to cook an extra dish this Christmas and donate the prepared dish to the Mission so that we can serve it on Christmas Day.  Daily we serve about 1,400 meals but on Christmas we plan for about 2,000 throughout the day.  We need 100 turkeys and 20 hams cooked and delivered on Christmas Eve or before 11 AM on Christmas Day.  We need nearly 400 side dishes.  What are you cooking for Christmas?  Make this meal extra special by cooking a little extra and sharing it with those in need.  Here is where we are today:

• Turkeys 18 – we need 82 more turkeys
• Hams 2 - we need 18 more hams
• Side Dishes 14 – we need about 300 more side dishes
• Desserts 4 cakes and 1 general dessert – we need about 200 desserts

 

We need your help.  Please call Jan or Sharon at the Mission to make your commitment at 345-6080 or 742-9715 or better still email me at tim@waysidechristianmission.org.