A hearty bowl of soup, a sandwich and more importantly warm, friendly company, await the 140 people milling into the Spirit of Life Catholic Church soup kitchen that runs Thursdays from mid-September through mid-May. The outreach ministry in Mandan has been a tradition for about 22 years and brings a mix of people from all ages and incomes, said coordinator Mari Jo Sigl. "The purpose isn't just to provide a lunch, but also fellowship in a spiritual and welcoming atmosphere," Sigl said.
She credits community support for keeping it running. Local businesses share food supplies or sell at reduced prices and provide funding. And even though there is no basket passed around, people just seem to give without being asked, she said. Others will simply share treats for the weekly feed. The church's outreach fund buys many supplies.
None of it is possible without the 80 volunteers rotated in seven teams, Sigl said. Many are senior citizens. Others schedule their volunteering around their work week. While serving begins at 11:30 a.m., putting on a meal this big every week takes hours of preparation. Volunteers arrive shortly after 7 a.m. and generally leave after 1 p.m.
Sigl said the workers get as much out of it as the people eating. "Their reward is just serving the people," she said. "It just makes you feel good to do something for others," she said. Tom Stastney, a part-time employee of the church, still likes to volunteer as a team leader during his down time. "I just like to help the church out," he said. "It makes me feel good to help them out. It keeps me out of the house. Otherwise, I'd be sitting around just doing nothing. I like to stay active, so here I am."Stastney's specialty is hamburger noodle soup, which requires 20 pounds of hamburger and assorted vegetables to make enough. August Kuntz said he has helped since the program started in 1990. He fixes vegetables, sandwiches and drinks.
"A lot of poor people come to eat here and just a lot of people come to share company. You see people come through the line and the expressions on their faces makes it worth it," he said. Leona Haas said she started volunteering sometime in the 1990s. "I like to be around people. I was a professional cook for many years so I just fit right in," she said. "I just help out where I'm needed. We have fun."
Their efforts are appreciated. "I enjoy coming to the soup kitchen. I love it," said Ebie Glasser. "It's always good. The food is good. The help is very helpful. It's just a meeting place.""It's more than the food. We could have soup and sandwiches at home. It's the socializing," said Joyce Fleck.
The soup kitchen functions as one group of men's weekly coffee shop gathering. Stephen Morrell, Ray Fleck and Mel Beckler meet almost weekly in their version of the round table. Morrell has been coming to the soup kitchen for five years. Beckler often comes from Hazen to attend. "We come here just to visit and have a good time for an hour and a half," Fleck said. He likes the many events along with the food. "There's the Christmas party, Thanksgiving party and polka music. They have movies here once in a while," he said. "Most everybody I'm related to and all of my friends are here.""No complaints," said Carl Bosch, a retired cement plant worker, who said he lives alone. "I always come here every chance I get. Then I don't have to cook myself," he said. "You meet a lot of people," he said. Lorraine Klien has been attending the soup kitchen for more than 10 years. A leg brace didn't prevent her from coming in, thanks to her caregiver, Nikki Huber.
"I like the company, the social(ness), the people and the friendliness," Klien said. When possible, Sigl also schedules special events or speakers to complement the weekly gathering. On Jan. 26, the second health fair will be held near the soup kitchen. "It's geared toward retired and elderly people. They'll do blood pressure checks, body mass checks," she said. "Curves is coming, (and) somebody doing massages," she said. In December, Santa took pictures with the guests while holiday music was played. On Thanksgiving, volunteers put on a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings for 300. To prepare for Easter, a speaker will do a presentation for each week of Lent, Sigl said. She said polka and old-time music are popular with the regulars.