“I came into [Sweet Rose] and it was like it had been full on raining so I ran upstairs [to Wawa] and discover the icemaker in the bar area had blown,” she said. “The ceiling was bowing and we were worried it might cave in so we drilled holes in it and water just poured out. There was a huge load of water and it was even coming through the walls.” Young said the extent of the damage is yet to be determined. “All the water went right through the [Wawa] bar area and kitchen and the floorboards are lifting and cracking,” she said.
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Be it rain or shine or even the COVID pandemic those in need of a free meal can count on the Campbell AME Church soup kitchen to open every Wednesday.
Although local volunteer groups continued bringing meals to those in need, Campbell AME was the only church soup kitchen in Chatham that operated continuously through the pandemic.
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“People got to eat, that’s the reason why,” said Ralph La Bonte, a long-time volunteer cook at the soup kitchen, which serves a meal every Wednesday.
Previous Gallery Image Lorraine Young, left, Terry Shadd and Mary Heyd are among the volunteers that have kept the Campbell AME Church soup kitchen going throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. They are seen here Wednesday at the Chatham church preparing lunch that will be given as take-out to 70 or so people who look forward to the weekly meal. Ellwood Shreve/Chatham Daily News/Postmedia Network Photo by Ellwood Shreve /Ellwood Shreve/The Daily News John Gander, left, picks up a take-out lunch from volunteer Ralph La Bonte at the Campbell AME Church soup kitchen in Chatham on Wednesday. Ellwood Shreve/Chatham Daily News/Postmedia Network Photo by Ellwood Shreve /Ellwood Shreve/The Daily News
Previous Gallery Image Lorraine Young, left, Terry Shadd and Mary Heyd are among the volunteers that have kept the Campbell AME Church soup kitchen going throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. They are seen here Wednesday at the Chatham church preparing lunch that will be given as take-out to 70 or so people who look forward to the weekly meal. Ellwood Shreve/Chatham Daily News/Postmedia Network Photo by Ellwood Shreve /Ellwood Shreve/The Daily News John Gander, left, picks up a take-out lunch from volunteer Ralph La Bonte at the Campbell AME Church soup kitchen in Chatham on Wednesday. Ellwood Shreve/Chatham Daily News/Postmedia Network Photo by Ellwood Shreve /Ellwood Shreve/The Daily News