St. Francis Episcopal Church in North Bellmore preps for a charitable BBQ feast

On Sunday, March 7, St. Francis Episcopal Church in North Bellmore, in partnership with Carroll’s Kitchen, will feed hundreds of hungry residents.

Roughly 500 meals will be prepared and given to those in need, and more dishes will be prepared for purchase to support the cause. Eggs and honey sourced straight from The Garden at St. Francis will also be available for purchase, and non-perishable goods will be given away.

“We found out about Carroll’s Kitchen and what they do is totally up our alley,” said Br. Chris McNabb. “We made contact with them, gave them a tour of the church and started dreaming of what we could collaborate on.”

The Bellmore location of Carroll’s Kitchen opened late last year and has already fed thousands of people in the area. The nonprofit’s weekly Elderly Grandparent Program delivers more than 300 meals to seniors each week.

Carroll’s Kitchen’s mission mirrored that of St. Francis, McNabb said: “Feeding hungry bodies and hungry souls.”

“I enjoy leading people to do God’s work,” said Jennifer Henning, a member of the church who established communications between the two organizations. “This was a great opportunity to physically do some work for people during Covid. . . it feels so good to help people.”

“I’m just amazed at [Carroll’s Kitchen’s volunteer’s] creativeness. Honestly, they’re giving us energy at the church,” McNabb said. “We feel grateful to be using our resources as well — we have this big property, so let’s use it, and let’s use it to help people.”

“There was no red tape — immediately we said, ‘Let’s find a date,’” Henning said.

Baby back ribs with coleslaw, cornbread and mac ‘n’ cheese — which will be specially prepared in coordination with barbecue experts from the Massapequa Pitmasters Facebook group — will be given away to those in need and also sold for $20 apiece. Proceeds will support the initiative.

The event kicks off at 1 p.m. Guests can purchase food to go while supplies last. The St. Francis parking lot will be converted into a drive through so hungry residents can quickly and safely grab their meals.

The list of those who need food assistance is growing fast, and Carroll’s Kitchen relies on volunteers and donations to keep operations running. Check its website, www.carrollskitchenli.org, Instagram (@carrollskitchen_li) or Facebook pages to donate or volunteer.