Double Portion is a Soup Kitchen hosted at St. Thomas Church, Menasha, WI.

Currently they serve a full meal (open to anyone) 3 times every week (Monday, Wednesday & Thursday), even holidays.  The meal is served 11:30 am-12:30pm, all coordinated by volunteers, supplied by donations only.  They also provide a food pantry (two items per visit), and offer a bible study following the meal.  The soup kitchen is an ecumenical mission located at St. Thomas and also supported by Calvary Bible Church, St. Patrick's, & CTR.

How you can help:

   -come sit with the guests, mingle and have conversations.

   -help with food prep - 10 am

   -help with clean up - done by 1 pm

   -serve the meal to the guests

   -provide a meal (one time, once a month or more).

   -lead the bible study following lunch

   -donate food (for food pantry or meals)

   -donate $ for food

   -donate other toiletries (tp, etc).

To volunteer or donate, please contact Bill Steinhilber at  920-235-1031.  Thanks!

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2007 annual report

Double Portion Soup Kitchen and Pantry - 13,000 meals served in 2007

     Double Portion continues to be a blessing to the guests who receive meals and pantry items and to the volunteers who serve. God’s provision is a marvel to observe through DP. Growth of community spirit on many levels is the most notable event of 2007. We are blessed by a new church partner. St. Patrick’s Church has joined St. Thomas and Calvary Bible Church in providing meals on a regular basis. DP as a forum for ecumenically serving the needy is a joyful event. Our neighborhood of Doty Island has become involved with DP; guests and volunteers have united in community spirit. Indeed, members of our board of directors represent four different denominations. DP is “community” as a “verb”.

     The total number of meals served in 2007 tops 13,000 with a minimum of one hundred guests every serving day!  Our cost per meal is reduced to $1.22 without sacrificing quality. The pantry distributes over a ton of free food and personal hygiene items per month. Food cooked for meals is purchased from Sysco Foods. Additional pantry stock to fill the gap between what is donated and what is needed is purchased from Second Harvest of Wisconsin. In 2007 DP paid for dry wall replacement, electrical upgrades in the kitchen and a new freezer.

     Our Bible study meets Mondays after the meal and is led by Jim Dickson. Rick and Kelly Thebo, and Karlo Swenson held gospel outreach events for guests. Bible study materials were purchased for use by guests.

     Blessings continue with donations to the ministry of helping the needy in our town. The parishioners of Calvary Bible Church voted to have DP as a monthly line item in their church’s budget for 2008. Halleluiah!  Corporate donations, especially John J. and Ethel Keller Foundation, play the largest part in keeping the food coming, and the guests themselves donate and average of $175 per month. Weekly contributions of St. Thomas parishioners are no less than amazing and are helping keep the pantry stocked. Significant donations come from food drives and fund raisers: Boy Scouts of America, Troop 3; Postal Workers of Menasha; Calvary Bible Church small groups; Cedar Bar and Grill; Christian Men’s Fishing Club; Ada Hall Sr. Memorial; Gegan Elementary School; Advance Cleaning Solutions; Great Harvest; Manderfields; Curves; Pick and Save and many individuals, including Doty Island residents not formerly involved with DP.  

     Our mission is “To feed those who are hungry, physically and spiritually, and to maintain the dignity of everyone who comes to Double Portion.” Meals are served Monday, Wednesdays, except the third Wednesday of the month, and Thursdays.  We are blessed to see God changing the lives of guests and volunteers alike through this ministry. John 21:17 …Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”     

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August 08 Newsletter Double Portion  

Double Portion Soup Kitchen and Pantry – Jean, Jackie, Jesus, Sue and You!

Sue, a Double Portion volunteer said, “Above all the things I see at Double Portion, I am most impressed with the cooperation – the way the volunteers work together. Each person knows what needs to be done and does it. It is great to see the smiles of the volunteers as they work.”

Jean, another volunteer, said, “Double Portion has been a blessing to me. In June of ’03 I retired and started volunteering at Double Portion. I have felt God’s love in the people who come and the people who volunteer. It is truly one of the highlights of my week.”

Jackie, a new DP volunteer, said, “After five years of just watching from the sidelines, serving with Double Portion is a real privilege for me. I am so thankful for the wonderful, cheerful volunteers and for the very interesting guests, (from whom I have learned a great deal). The up beat attitudes everywhere are a real moral booster and I thank the Lord for it.”  

DP needs emergency volunteers, those whom we can call at the last minute if “regulars” can’t make it that day. Could we call you? The work is simple and the rewards are huge.

Jesus said, “You know the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to be become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be the first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life as ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25

Double Portion serves every Monday, Wednesday – except the third Wednesday of the month – and Thursday in the parish hall from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM. If you would like to volunteer, please call Bill Steinhilber, 235-1031.