Photo by Jacob Perryman Senior Pastor Mark Hecht, right, and local pastor Jon Swart stand by a sign advertising free community meals on Mondays set to begin Oct. 16.

First Methodist Church in Warren is set to join other local churches in offering community meals throughout the week.

Beginning Monday, Oct. 16, the church will start offering free meals on Mondays. It will join St. Joseph’s, the Salvation Army and First Presbyterian, which offer meals on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

It all started in September 2022 when Senior Pastor Mark Hecht did a series of sermons on the gospel of Matthew.

“What seemed to be the common theme … was one of the directories of Jesus to feed the hungry,” local Pastor Jon Swart said. “Our congregation wants to be involved in helping our community. A tangible way to do that is feeding the community.”

“This is where we’re being called at this moment,” Hecht said. “It’s also in response to the growing need right now.”

The pair stressed the effort is part of a collaboration with other organizations.

“It’s also about building relationships within the community,” Swart said. “We want to open the doors and invite people in where they feel welcome.”

Hecht noted the effort had been across committees, members and volunteers within the church.

“It’s not just one group,” he said. “It’s been across the board. This church has a long history of being involved. This just feels different. It resonates with just about everyone that this is an important opportunity.”

“The volunteers are truly excited,” Swart said, noting four teams comprised of approximately 50 volunteers, including some with food service experience, are involved. “There’s been a lot of behind the scenes effort.”

Meals will be served on a rotating theme basis every Monday throughout each month. Week one will be “gramma’s comfort food,” or homecooked meals. week two is “picnic time,” or tailgate goodies. week three is “global goodness,” or international foods, week four is “delicious duets,” such as soup and sandwiches, and week five is “chef’s choice.”

The meals are completely free and open to individuals and families.

“We anticipate that there will be a growing group of people coming,” Swart said.