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By Joel Erickson for the Tribune

With a warm and gracious smile interspersed with a robust laugh, Joe LaFrance shared the story of First Lutheran Church offering 150 to 180 meals each Thursday from 4:45 to 5:30 p.m.

A long line of cars wrapping around the church block waits patiently to pick up a hot meal of meat, potatoes, vegetables and dessert.

Inside the church in the kitchen area, 12 church volunteers gather to, first, fill the Styrofoam containers with a hot meal and, second, carry the meals to the back parking lot area, where they finally hand them to the people through the car windows.

The demands of food scarcity during COVID prompted members of First Lutheran to create this hot meal ministry on Thursday nights.

This ministry is open to anyone; no formal application is required. People as they drive up are asked how many meals they need, and the church volunteers hand them the meals through the car window. Some come on bicycles or just walk up to the distribution point.

Originally, meals were prepared using charcoal grills inside the church garage because the church members couldn’t gather in the building due to COVID restrictions.

That first summer they produced about 50 meals on average, mostly hamburgers and hot dogs. Eventually, the meals were prepared in the kitchen, but still people weren’t allowed to come in to receive the meals. Now, the simplest distribution process is to hand people the meals through the open car windows.

When asked where the money comes from to finance food purchases, LaFrance reported $5,000 per year comes from the Freeborn County Communities Foundation, which provides grants to nonprofit entities that promote the well-being of Freeborn County residents. Plus, another grant comes from United Way. The yearly budget for this ministry is $15,000. The church has fundraisers such as pancake breakfasts plus they receive funeral memorials towards this cause.

Some people pick up eight to 10 meals to deliver to shut-ins. Each week one woman delivers 12 meals to people in Wells and New Richland.

LaFrance retired about 15 years ago working food service for Riverland, both Austin and Albert Lea. Joy is fully evident in his speaking about this volunteer ministry; he is the official food coordinator of First Lutheran.