Like 'sitting with family': Church fosters community with free dinners

A church in eastern P.E.I. is planning to offer monthly free dinners for members of the community, not because they need the food, but because they need each other.

Scott Herring, pastor of the Murray Harbour Baptist Church, had noticed a lot of new people moving into the area retirees from other parts of Canada and temporary foreign workers mixing with the more long-term residents. His church came up with the idea of Community Connection Dinners.

We wanted to encourage friendship and connections in the community.- Scott Herring

"We wanted to encourage friendship and connections in the community," Herring said.

"Food is a little bit of a universal language."

The first dinner, held at the end of October, attracted about 100 people, an impressive turnout for a community of 300.

Donations from community

"It was quite comical at the end of it. We had two large pots of soup, it was cleaned out right to the bottom of the pots and we opened a small can of soup for two more bowls," he said.

"It felt like you were sitting with family."

Members of the community made donations so the meal could be offered for free, and Herring hopes the dinners will be able to continue to operate that way.

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS | Confederation Bridge adapts lamp posts to stop swaying, shearing off

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS | P.E.I. Green Party plans whistleblower protection for private sector