Solomon's Porch Foursquare Fellowship, St. George, Utah, undated | Photo courtesy of Solomon's Porch Foursquare Fellowship

ST. GEORGE – Every Sunday at Solomon’s Porch Foursquare Fellowship, a nondenominational Christian ministry in St. George, Rev. Jimi Kestin gives a sermon in the church’s sanctuary while volunteers in the basement prepare the free “Sunday Feast” for community members who are down on their luck and needing a boost through the weekend. The feast begins when the doors open at noon.

“We take great joy in meeting an important need in the community with this Sunday Feast,” Kestin previously stated concerning the feast. 

The Sunday Feast feeds anywhere between 50 and 70 people each week, though it tends to average as many as 100 meals per week as well. Volunteers serve food donated by local businesses or purchased by Solomon’s Porch with donated funds. It is thanks to these generous donations, Kestin said, that the church is able to keep the Sunday Feast going.

This past Sunday, the St. George Exchange Club and the Canyonlands Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans presented a combined $1,500 donation to the Sunday Feast.

During the week, individuals in need are able to get meals at the Dixie Care and Share community soup kitchen at Grace Episcopal Church. However, Bobbi Butka of Thrivent said no other charity in the area aside from Solomon’s Porch offers food for free on the weekend. 

The local chapter of Thrivent became involved with the feast through The Exchange Club, said Neal Smith, a member of Thrivent and club board member. Kestin, who is also a board member, recently gave a presentation on the Sunday Feast to the club. After seeing it, Smith said he felt it was a worthwhile charity for the two organizations to support.

“We thought this would be a neat thing to donate to,” Smith said.

On Aug. 3, the club held a yard sale in the Hurst Ace Hardware parking lot and raised $1,050 for the Sunday Feast.

“We decided we would have a fundraiser for Solomon’s Porch,” St. George Exchange Club President Brent Labrum said. “It was more successful than I thought it would be.”

Thrivent added $450 to the cause, raising $1,500 in all.

“There are a lot of people in this community who want to see programs like this continue,” Kestin said, and added the church was grateful for the donations. He also said he wanted to take the opportunity to publicly thank the St. George Exchange Club and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, as their work often goes unnoticed.

“There are groups with diverse callings and mission statements in this community that come together and support something like this,” he said, calling it an example of a “community of unity” at work to help the less fortunate among them.

Anyone interested in volunteering at the Sunday Feast is encouraged to arrive at Solomon’s Porch, located at 410 East Tabernacle in St. George, at 11:30 a.m. Staff on hand will assign the volunteers accordingly. More information on the church, including how to donate to the Sunday Feast, can be found by calling 435-669-8153 or visiting their website.

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• St. George Exchange Club, raising leaders with spirit to serve
• OP-ED: Solomon’s Porch weekly Sunday feasts, Friday food boxes, a Christian collaboration

• What’s cooking? Dixie Care & Share; new Community Soup Kitchen and leadership

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