A MINISTRY OF CARE ...

The Second Servings deep freezer is almost empty! That means we have had a lot of members needing some easy-to-reheat meals and desserts due to illness, surgery or other crises in their lives. In addition to prayers for our friends, we need your help restocking our freezer. 

There are two ways anyone in our congregation can help. 

1. By providing new freezer safe/microwave safe plastic containers. (Please be sure the brand you purchase do not contain potentially harmful BPA or PVC in their products, and that they are safe for microwaves and freezers.) Various sizes are needed that can hold 3-10 cups each, including oven-safe, lasagna-type pans. Please mark your items for “Second Servings” and place them in the cabinet in the kitchenette off of the Fellowship Room.  
2. By providing some of your favorite comfort foods — casseroles, stews, soups, cookies, quick breads, muffins/rolls and vegetable side dishes. We ask that the food not be spicy (flavorful is great, but please stay away from recipes that call for a lot of hot peppers, cayenne, cumin, hot curry and/or Tabasco) because many of the people needing Second Servings have sensitive stomachs at the time when they are brought the food. If you are making a batch of one of these foods for your own family, consider making a double batch and freeze some of it for Second Servings.  

When you are preparing food for Second Servings, please keep in mind that the immune system of many of our recipients of this ministry often are a bit fragile due to a recent surgery, injury, illness or childbirth, so please be sure your preparation area is clean and sanitized. Please be sure you wash your hands often and well before, during and after cooking/baking. These are common sense tips that we’ve all known since we’ve been little, but it doesn’t hurt to hear it again. 

Once your food is cooked and cooled, please use the plastic containers/freezer bags that have been provided by other Second Serving volunteers, or you may use your own as long as they are containers specifically made for the microwave and freezer. Please be sure to wash and dry these containersBEFORE you use them, even if they look clean. Please freeze your prepared items as soon as they have cooled. Remember to leave a little room in the container for expansion when frozen. 

Please tape a label onto your container with the following information (Unlabeled items may never get to leave our freezer if the person who is bringing it doesn’t know what it is or the ingredients they may need to avoid.): Mark it “Second Servings”; Name of dish; Date frozen; List of main ingredients; If you are making a sugar-free dessert that is diabetic friendly, please indicate if you have used a sugar substitute (Stevia or other artificial sweeteners); Your name and phone number – optional; and if your dish is vegetarian, please indicate. 

When you bring your delicious Second Serving to church, you may place it in the deep freeze in the closet in the Fellowship Room kitchenette near the door to the Chapel. If you have questions or need additional direction, please speak with Michelle Mueller or contact her using the contact information in the church directory.