More Than 600 Served At Annual Bemidji Community Meal

The Bemidji community was well fed today thanks to the 38th Annual Bemidji Community Meal. This year, it was held at the First Lutheran Church. The place was packed, and everyone agreed that the food was delicious.

“It’s energizing, it’s fun. Talking to everybody, seeing everybody,” said community meal committee chair Marci Plemel.

“When we initially started this 30 years ago, I think it involved the community but as it’s grown in the last 8 years that we’ve been doing it, it’s about doubled,” added Patrick Plemel, Marci’s husband and a frequent volunteer.

Volunteers got to the church early this morning, and many left in trucks at around 10 a.m. to make home deliveries in town. The dinner served included turkey, homemade dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce and (of course) pumpkin pie. More than 600 people walked through the doors and they were served by more than 70 volunteers.

When asked about his favorite part of the meal, Patrick Plemel said, “The volunteers, the people that give up their own family meals and family to come here with their family, just fabulous! That type of outreach and that type of commitment to our community of Bemidji.”

Many of the volunteers say they even plan to make this a tradition.

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, the committee who plans the community meals are looking towards a Christmas meal in December. It will happen in Bemidji at the Evangelical Free Church of Bemidji on Christmas Day. A time is still to be determined.

“I am just so grateful for the community that we live in and the people that are here and the hearts that they have. To see something like this come together. We have such an abundance of people with giving hearts in this community that it absolutely amazes me,” says Marci Plemel.

Marci and Patrick are always looking for people to join their committee and help plan the community meals. If you interested, you can contact Patrick at [email protected].