FoodandFriendsWestminster

Event:  Westminster Celebrates Founding of Food & Friends 25 Years Ago

Event Date:  Sunday, November 17, 2013

Location:  Westminster DC, 400 I St SW

Contact:  Rev. Ruth Hamilton, 202-641-8221, rwh@westminsterdc.org

On Sunday, November 17th, at 11am, Westminster Presbyterian Church will celebrate another special anniversary in the midst of its 160th year in SWDC. It was in 1983, when the awful reality of AIDS was hitting home, that the congregation decided to take action and start a ministry that would prepare and deliver nutritious meals to home-bound persons with AIDS. The ministry was called “Food & Friends.” The average period of service to clients was 6 weeks in those early days, so many were dying.

Earlier this year, Westminster celebrated the 30th anniversary of declaring itself open and inclusive to all LGBT persons, the first Presbyterian church in the Metro Area to do so. When AIDS began as a “gay disease” the church was ready to step out with compassion. For ten years, Food & Friends operated out of the Westminster church basement and hundreds of volunteers made it happen. Now, 25 years later, Food & Friends has prepared and delivered over 16 million meals to people living with a variety of chronic illnesses.

You are invited to help celebrate the spirit of compassion and justice that founded and sustains this ministry during the special service on November 17th. Guests will include the Rev. Carla Gorrell, the first executive director, along with the early Food & Friends staff and volunteers. Music will be provided by Westminster’s new Minister of Music Shirli Hughes and  the Rock Creek Singers of the Gay Men’s Chorus. A reception will follow. For more information see www.westminsterdc.org.

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