A helping hot dish

Peace Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls, S.D., gives away nearly 40 casseroles a month—no questions asked.

More than 20 volunteers bake 40 casseroles they call PEACEmeals. They wrap each meal with the recipe, heating instructions, a printed prayer and Bible verse. The meals are stored in a church freezer, where they wait for someone who needs a hot meal. Parishioners give away or deliver the meals, using a log to track the supply.

Members provide pots, pans, utensils, plastic bags, grocery gift cards and some funding. A grant provides other funding. Pat Eidness, associate minister for small groups and servant ministries, got the idea from friends at another Lutheran church.