Securing food for everyone in need is a lofty goal. Giving seniors a place to socialize turns out to be equally lofty. And, when you stop to think about it, getting so many diverse faith groups and their friends to joyously work together seems pretty ambitious as well. But, these goals are actually being achieved by the Community Dinner Table. During our first ten years of operation, every Tuesday night from the last Tuesday in October through the last Tuesday in March saw CDT place over 67,000 plates on the dinner tables at Jason Lee Memorial Methodist Church. During the pandemic, we moved to take-out dinners for awhile, and then on February 8, 2022, resumed our sit-down dinners – this time at Blackfoot Christian Fellowship Church. In the fall of 2022 we are able to once again resume our sit-down dinners at Jason Lee Memorial Methodist Church.
Tuesday Night Dinners
Who: Anyone needing a meal or a friend
Where: Jason Lee Memorial Methodist Church at 168 S University in Blackfoot
When: 5:00 – 6:30 PM every Tuesday from the first Tuesday in November (first dinner) to the last Tuesday in March (last dinner)
A turkey dinner is also provided on Thanksgiving Day each year at 1:00 PM
The “Dinners” have become the backbone of CDT’s operation, and led to the numerous community services CDT now manages. But the truth is this: to greet more than 6,500 people through 23 weeks for each of ten years is a real consistent way to help Blackfoot and Bingham County serve its citizens in need. CDT has found that need is difficult to define. Some come hungry for nutrition – others for interaction, and some for fun. Winter is simply a needy time, and CDT Tuesday Dinners fill that community need without federal or state funding. This ministry works because the community wants it to work.
Kids korner
As part of the weekly dinners, the Kids Korner(TM) came about as a way to give parents a chance to visit with other adults while the children experience an evening of creativity, fun and just being kids. Each week the children make crafts, learn songs, sing to the crowd and just have fun. This idea came to fruition under the direction of Debbie Hammett and Shelley Mangum in 2011.
summer lunches
The Blackfoot School District serves free lunches to children all summer, until a couple weeks before school starts back up in the fall. For those last couple weeks, Jason Lee Memorial United Methodist Church serves free sack lunches to all children ages 1-18.
