The Metropolitan Community Church of the Quad Cities (MCCQC) held one of its monthly free meals on Saturday, Nov. 22, from 12 – 2 p.m. The community potluck was put together thanks to the help of the larger Quad Cities area residents, with over 20 local volunteers helping prepare and serve food.
The “Souper Supper” offered five different soups for attendees to enjoy: vegetable, chicken noodle, chili without meat, chili with beef and chili with chicken. Many community members also brought in other foods alongside their soup ingredients, such as rolls, crackers, homemade cookies and bread.
The idea of a community potluck was created by Quad City area resident Mac Beamer to benefit anyone who had lost Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits due to the government shutdown. Beamer is a SNAP recipient and self-proclaimed soup enthusiast.
He said it all started with a Facebook post he made to his page on Oct. 23, asking whether a soup potluck would interest the community. When he was met with a larger-than-expected response, Beamer said he got to work on making it a reality.
The Souper Supper was decidedly held at the MCCQC after Pastor Rich Hendricks offered their kitchen for meal preparation. Soon after, a flyer and volunteer sheet spread quickly through social media, shared by groups such as Augustana’s Hey Jane(y) and Co.
“I’m touched by the generosity of the Quad Cities. I think the vast majority of people really do care about each other and each other’s well-being,” Hendricks said.
The night before the dinner, 12 volunteers from the church and community worked in the kitchen for four hours to prepare the soup and organize donations. Many volunteers brought their own slow cookers, and others contributed ingredients and donations.
Donations of boxed or canned foods were grouped by the MCCQC church to create “Thanksgiving in a Bag,” free for anyone to take home. The church also accepted donations of hygiene products such as toothbrushes and soap for people to take.
One of the volunteers at the event was Natasha Honig, the Iowa state leader of an LGBTQIA+ support group called Free Mom Hugs. According to their website, Free Mom Hugs has chapters in all 50 states and aims to uplift the LGBTQIA+ community through increasing visibility and education.
“I love [the QC] community, and I want to help and support as best I can,” Honig said.
Although the community turnout was lower than expected, everyone who showed up was welcomed with food and conversation from all the volunteers. Many attendees stayed after eating their meal, simply enjoying getting to know the people near them.
Both Beamer and Hendricks said they were motivated by community-building through events like the Souper Supper. However, they both were critical of why the event was needed, due to the effects of the government shutdown.
“I love that I did this, and I love that the community response has been what it is, but [I don’t like] the fact that it had to be me going, ‘Hey guys, I don’t have SNAP this month. Can we fix that for me and everyone else?’” Beamer said.
MCCQC hosts free dinners at its church in downtown Davenport for those in need on the third Sunday of every month at 5 p.m.
