MONROE COUNTY, MI — Food and funding are at the top of Fred Fedorowicz’s list.
The board president of God Works Family Soup Kitchen is asking restaurants and businesses to help feed the hungry and the homeless.
The free food program started in the kitchen at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church on South Monroe Street in 2005. Jeff Weaver of Monroe and a coalition of people rallied together with a common goal of serving food to the homeless and working poor in Monroe County. In order to operate, the nonprofit, non-denominational organization relies on public and private donations.
Since losing the Knabusch Foundation endowment, a major funding source, operating the food program has been a challenge.
“We received our last distribution in 2024. It paid half our annual budget,” Fedorowicz said. “The foundation has been a funding source almost since the inception but, eventually, the trust exhausted its funds.”
Although God Works has received some sizeable donations in addition to regular donors who provide monthly funding, the need continues as the program grows.
“Without community support, we could not carry out our mission,” he said.
Help with feeding people
Getting food donations from restaurants like Tim Hortons at 404 S. Monroe St. has helped with feeding people attending St. Paul’s United Methodist Church on Tuesdays and St. Mary Catholic Church, 151 N. Monroe St. on Fridays.
Just before closing on Thursday nights, Fedorowicz goes to the restaurant and picks up confections.
“We distribute the doughnuts, bagels, and muffins at St. Mary’s on Fridays. We pick up four to five dozen and even more if you count the doughnut holes,” he said. “It’s food they did not sell and did not have to throw away.”
Dana and Brian Reicker of Monroe own 14 Tim Hortons locations, including two in Monroe.
Dana Reicker says she has previously worked with God Works and knows the importance of the program in the community.
“Monroe is our home and giving back is the right thing to do,” Dana Reicker said. “We want to help the community we live in.”
Other businesses, like Panera and Gordon Food Services, have stepped up with food donations.
“Gordon’s will call us when they have food that is getting close to an expiration date,” Fedorowicz said. “Little Caesars will send their truck and bake pizzas on site.”
More than feeding people
For the past two years, The Little Brown Jug in Maybee has been donating food to Oaks of Righteousness Village, 924 E. Second St. The restaurant sponsors meals on the fourth and fifth Wednesdays of each month.
“I’ve always felt that we have to take care of the community that we are in,” said Jeth Ott, owner of The Little Brown Jug. “The easiest way I can do that is by feeding people.”
Ott said his involvement with God Works is more than just feeding people.
“We don’t just feed their bellies, we try to feed their soul,” he said. “We try to give them hope and a little better day. We pray with them. We’re there to listen to them if they have something that may be bothering them.”
Support needed
“We can’t do it on our own,” Fedorowicz said. “If we were forced to do that 52 weeks out of the year, we would exhaust all our funding. So, we’re looking for restaurants to help pick that up.”
As the need for food grows, so does the number of people needing to be fed.
In the fall, I Am Church, 790 Patterson Drive in Monroe, will be hosting dinners on Thursdays to residents on the west side of the city.
Gail Bartolo of Carleton, a church member, will manage the site.
“We are seeing this area as a high need area and we feel those living here would greatly benefit from having meals in their neighborhood,” Bartolo said. “We want to do that for them. We want them to be seen and heard. We want them to feel safe.”
“More meals mean more money is needed,” Fedorowicz said.
Financial support and funding groups are needed to plan and sponsor meals. Some groups sponsor a meal once a week or on a monthly basis. At St. Paul’s, a different church comes in every week.
The cost of the meal can vary depending on what is served. Meals can cost between $100 to $200. Volunteers decide on what they want to serve. It can be something like hot dogs, lasagna or spaghetti. Any group wanting to help, but the financial side of providing the meal is a barrier, can submit receipts for reimbursement.
For more information about God Works, how to donate, sponsor a meal or serve a meal, contact Fedorowicz at 734-755-4705 or log onto www.gwsoupkitchen.com
Save the date
From 4-8 p.m. on Aug. 26, 2025, a fundraiser for God Works will take place at The Little Brown Jug, 7697 Blue Bush Road in Maybee. Along with 20% of food proceeds, a raffle and silent auction will be planned. Keep an eye out on social media for updates from the organizers about this upcoming event.
— Contact reporter Lisa Vidaurri-Bowling at lvidaurribowling@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: God Works soup kitchen asks businesses to help feed the hungry
Reporting by Lisa Vidaurri Bowling, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
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