Fairfield’s Drive-by Supper could use a few more helpers

FAIRFIELD – The Drive-by Supper meals served at First Lutheran Church in Fairfield have become very popular, and that’s why volunteers are asking for help.

The church has been hosting a free weekly meal every Tuesday from 4-5:15 p.m. In 2020, the meal changed from its former name “Come to Supper” to “Drive-by Supper” since it transitioned from being a sit-down meal into a drive-thru. When the meal started in 2017, it was averaging 30-50 people per week, but today that number has ballooned to 120-130 people.

The meal’s organizers say they are happy to serve those in need, but the exacting demand of serving so many people is starting to wear them down. Churches and other civic organizations sign up to provide the meal each week, and they’re getting burnt out, too.

Carol Carlson, a member of the Drive-by Supper Committee, said filling so many weeks of the year is a challenge.

“Maybe [the groups] do it once or twice, and then they realize it’s not one and done,” she said. “It’s every week.”

Jamie Kuiken, the lead organizer of the meals, said the committee only takes two weeks off in the year: Thanksgiving week, because Hope United Methodist Church provides a meal; and Christmas week, because The Lord’s Cupboard distributes its holiday boxes then.

In the early years, members of First Lutheran Church provided the meal. As the attendance grew, the Lutherans received help from other members of the community and other organizations.

“It grew beyond what we could prepare,” Kuiken said. “Now we have the Lions Club, Catholic Church, Baptist Church, Methodist Church all preparing.”

Carlson added that businesses like Libertyville Savings Bank and Iowa State Bank pitch in, and parties such as Jefferson County Democrats help, too.

“We’re always willing to invite more people to provide the main dish,” Carlson said. “The more groups we have, the less frequently their turn comes up.”

Most organizations prepare the food themselves, though some pay to have it catered. Carlson and Kuiken estimated that First Lutheran Church makes the meal about once a month, and that there are about 14 other groups that take turns supplying it.

The Drive-by Supper Committee acknowledges that there are some hurdles in getting more groups to sign up. In order for the meal to be eaten that evening, it has to be picked up in the late afternoon, and that means the church needs to receive it, ready to eat, at 3 p.m. so they can package it in time for the 4 p.m. pick-up. The members said that timeline is hard to meet for people who work during the day.

Carlson said they can’t accept meals in a frozen state.

“It has to come baked,” she said. “We only have two ovens, so if it comes frozen at 3 p.m., it’s not going to be hot in time.”

Kuiken said that, even though supplying the meal is a lot of work, including the day when they served their all-time high of 177 meals, getting a “thank you” makes it all worth it.

“Every week we have someone who says, ‘You can’t imagine what this means to me,’” Kuiken said. “We do get some pretty good feels out of it.”

Carlson said nearly everyone who receives a meal is appreciative of it. The committee does not ask recipients for donations.

“There are no questions asked,” she said. “The day I brought my husband home from the hospital, I drove through. The last thing I could begin to do was cook.”

Carlson added that even if a group can’t supply a meal, the committee is always willing to accept cookies. Those who’d like to volunteer for the event or get involved can call First Lutheran Church at 641-472-4184.

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com

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