With about 120 meals served per week, food program helps to fill hunger gap
By Kerul Dyer, Director of Uncle Food’s Diner
Recently I was asked about who eats the food we make and serve each Tuesday in downtown Ashland. The 30 year old Uncle Food’s Diner program provides a free weekly meal in Ashland to anyone without access to a kitchen or adequate food. On an average week, more than 120 people receive free hot and nutritious meals either at the dinner itself or delivered to their door by volunteers. Those served come from a wide range of backgrounds, including families with young children, seniors and people with disabilities, low wage workers and students, and unhoused men and women.
A snapshot of last week’s meal included an eight-year-old serving hot bread pudding to a grateful senior man bound to a wheelchair. A cook describing the taste of Jambalaya to a 10 year-old Ashlander who lives in a tent with his family. A 22-year-old who works full time but can’t afford food after paying his rent, expressing deep gratitude for the meal. A young couple with a newborn child who live in their car on a rock by the creek.
To make this possible, Peace House has teamed up with partners in the community, including Food Angels, Market of Choice, Rogue Food Unites, and the Ashland Food Bank. Each week our trusted staff member Josh Rohde fills the Peace House van full of fresh produce, breads and deli items, milk, cheese and eggs from these locations and delivers it to the United Methodist Church kitchen for preparation the following day. We then supplement the donated food with purchased meat and key ingredients to produce high protein, balanced meals of restaurant quality.
Volunteers provide the backbone of support in the kitchen and serving, and we have a good time! We rely on about 25 incredible volunteers each week to make it all come together, and we are grateful for their service and enthusiasm. Those who volunteer range in age from eight to 87 years old, and while some people are comfortably retired, many of those on the team take meals to feed themselves and their families. I coordinate the program, with ample support from Peace House administrative staff and volunteer serving coordinators Kathy Fraser and Haylene Campbell.
Another important element of Uncle Food’s operation includes our redistribution program. Each week, we donate somewhere between 200 and 600 lbs of produce and milk to the Ashland Emergency food bank. We also restock three small free food pantries in Ashland. Once a month, we make a delivery of at least 100 pounds of food staples to the Union Gospel Mission kitchen in Medford. Finally, we provide food support for the BIPOC Community Sanctuary’s free meal on Saturdays held at Ashland’s Public Library.
Our mission is to not only feed people, but to support a culture of peace across the very stark economic disparities that exist in Ashland. Taking action on our shared values of compassion and generosity builds a more resilient, nonviolent community for everyone.
Since the pandemic, churches and community buildings have become unavailable for use in serving people with urgent needs. Because of this, we must pack up and deliver the food and equipment to serve at a separate, outside location, away from Ashland’s wealthy neighborhoods. This creates a barrier for access for people with disabilities who rely on public transportation, as well an increased stigma for those who attend the weekly event.
Our process to find a central location indoors to serve food for the upcoming winter months is ongoing.
We hope residents and businesses in Ashland can find it within themselves to reflect on the very real needs of members of our community. Perhaps carrying the weight of judgment for those experiencing a mental health crisis, living with a debilitating medical condition or without adequate income to feed themselves properly doesn’t serve the greater good.
