Fifteen years ago, Janet Moore and other congregants at Bethany Presbyterian on Queen Anne were holding a potluck and noticed people nearby waiting in line at the church's food bank.
"So the question became: Why are we having a potluck when there are people in line for food?" Moore recalled.
Bethany Presbyterian Church's Wednesday night community meal began as the answer to that question. These days, the meal draws 120 to 140 people per week, and like most large-scale cooking endeavors, takes a team of volunteers: Tom is at the outdoor grill, Karen and Esme run back and forth between kitchen and dining room, a kitchen staff prepares side dishes. Another volunteer has baked the 400 homemade cookies laid out to welcome guests as they arrive.
Moore oversees it all. At one recent meal, Moore, wearing an apron, wrapped her arms around individuals and led them to tables, introducing them to others nearby. She grabbed a highchair for a young mother with a small child. The smell of burgers grilling permeated the air.
Church leaders made a budget for the meal their priority, and that has enabled Moore to plan ahead to make it as nutritious, and appetizing, as possible.
Regulars say the menu is a cut above the standard community meal. Recent meals have featured beef burritos, black forest ham with macaroni and cheese, Chicken Divan and baked potatoes with chili.
"In all my years I cannot remember spaghetti ever being served," said Seth, a church member who said he's been coming to the meal for 13 years.
He said the weekly gathering provides a place where people can come to talk and make friends: "We're feeding the body and not necessarily the spirit," he said, "but we're open to questions."
Over the years, amenities have grown. Haircuts are offered the second Wednesday of the month. Local businesses donate bread, fresh fruits and vegetables for guests to take home. Volunteers and guests recycle and compost the scraps and leftovers.
"We produce just one bag of garbage after each dinner," Moore said.
Most of the guests live downtown or on lower Queen Anne. Two tables are reserved for guests from the deaf community who travel the greatest distance from Edmonds and Auburn.
Anyone is welcome.
"This great venue [helps people] make contact with folks and walk alongside them," Moore said. "This is a community that looks out for each other."