St. Luke's United Methodist Church

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4851 S. Apopka-Vineland Road
Orlando, FL 32819
407.876.4991
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Coalition for the Homeless

Posted on March 31, 2025 at 9:00 am in .

   

St. Luke’s has partnered with the Coalition for the Homeless for over 37 years to provide a wholesome dinner on the third Saturday of each month to those experiencing homelessness in Central Florida. Volunteers help prep, cook, and serve the meal, and your ongoing support makes this possible.

We prepare food at St. Luke’s on the Friday before the third Saturday, and on Saturday, we cook and serve dinner at the Coalition.

Volunteers are needed for:

  • Prep food (mostly dicing vegetables) at St. Luke’s on the Friday, before the third Saturday of the month,  noon-3:30 pm, please email Beth Ely at beth4slumc@gmail.com 
  • Cook dinner at the Coalition on the third Saturday of the month, 1:00-5:00 pm, please email Beth Ely at beth4slumc@gmail.com
  • Serve dinner at the Coalition on the third Saturday of the month, 4:15-7:00 pm, please email Karen Bonnette at karenbonnette@gmail.com

Please note that some of the rules at the Coalition have changed and now volunteers must be at least 14 years old.

Our next date for prepping food is Friday, April 18 and we will cook and serve food on Saturday, April 19. 

With the Easter holiday this month hams are once again available, so our April menu is the Coalition guests’ favorite of the meals we cook – quiche (ham, sweet potato & cheese quiche plus a plain cheese version for vegetarians) and homemade vegetable soup (vegan).  We’ll get the eggs, pie shells, and canned tomatoes in bulk and need your help with other ingredients and usual accompaniments to round out a balanced meal – cheese, milk, ham, sweet potatoes, great northern beans, vegetables, and fresh fruit – plus homemade desserts for a special treat.

Please click the link below to see the items needed.

The Coalition guests are truly grateful for the love shown them through a fresh, flavorful, healthy meal.   Your generous support in making this possible for 37+ years is very much appreciated.

To learn more, please contact serve@st.lukes.org.

Beth Ely’s Reflection

“We prepare and serve more than a fresh, wholesome dinner.  Through the generous donation of our volunteers’ resources, time, and talents, we serve love and compassion to help restore the dignity and hope of families, women, and men in our community who are overcoming challenging situations in their lives.   The experience also feeds the soul of volunteers through simple acts of kindness that can be life-changing for the Coalition guests and the volunteers themselves.”  – Beth Ely, St. Luke’s Volunteer and Leader for over 30 years

Brian Dreibelbis’s Reflection

I was so touched and moved last night at the Coalition for the Homeless. During the mother-children time, a little 3-year-old girl asked me for milk, so I poured and took her a cup of milk and her mother thanked me. They finished their meal and the mother came and asked me if her daughter could please have another cup of milk, and I got her another and I grabbed a chocolate chip cookie for both of them.

When they finished little girl came to me and said, thank you Mr. Brian I drank 2 cups of milk tonight and she was smiling ear to ear. Her Mom hugged me and thanked all of us from St Luke’s for serving last night. All night I thought and prayed about the mother and daughter and so many others last night and the impact the St. Luke’s team had on these lives last night. To let them know they are loved and valued and there is hope for tomorrow. I’m looking forward to serving every 3rd Saturday of every month. God bless you for all you do!!! – Brian Dreibelbis


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