Live generously.

Those are the words on a T-shirt Paula Bond wears when she helps distribute meals at Zion Lutheran Church in Brodheadsville. It was a gift from Thrivent Financial, which gave the church a grant to help fund the free dinners each month.

Volunteering is a little bit of giving back. She knows what it’s like to be on the receiving end, because her family received some help, too, when she was a child.

“I guess that’s why I do what I do,” she said.

Bond stepped up a few years ago when a friend invited her to get involved with the dinners. She began leading the event in 2018.

The Rev. E. Anne Melot, the pastor of the Zion Lutheran Church, said, “We are blessed to have Paula as such an active part of the church. She’s just expanded it so much. We really want to serve the community in any way we can. A lot of people are struggling with food insecurity.”

The church used to serve about 80 people in the hall before COVID-19. That shifted it to take-out dinners.

“It was starting to max out the hall,” Bond added.

Moving to take-out dinners had an unexpected result.

Bond discovered that not only did they get more people with take-out, but they got more families.

In June, the church provided 193 meals. Bond said she doesn’t know why more families have come out, but she is happy to help. She even has been able to give out small toys to the children the last couple months.

Bond admits she liked the fellowship that developed from the sit-down dinners, and was concerned that it would go away with take-out, but it hasn’t. It has just changed a little.

Melot said, “There is a different kind of community. They will talk with each other in their cars as they wait for the meals.”

The kitchen crew starts prepping at 2 p.m., and cars start lining up around 3:30, Bond said But dinners aren’t served until 5 p.m. It gives people a chance to visit.

The dinners are provided every third Wednesday of the month, except for this month. It is this Wednesday this month, because the West End Fair is going on the third week of August. Plus, Bond will be volunteering at a food stand fair for another organization. It’s part of her networking. The church gets to keep whatever doesn’t sale.

Bond said she gets supplies for the dinners from a variety of organizations including the Pleasant Valley Ecumenical Network, the Western Pocono Alliance, Monroe County Bar Association, and many others, as well as the parishioners of from Zion Lutheran.

The hardest part is organizing the dinners is knowing how much food to prepare.

“It’s always a gamble,” Bond said. “We ran out three times and had to give an alternate meal.”

When that happens, the volunteers don’t get a meal, but Bond said they don’t mind. They are happy to help.

“Happy heart and tired feet,” she said. “The dinner gives the meals to the people, but it gives happiness to the volunteers.”

Bond makes an effort to bring happiness to the patrons of the dinners, too. She creates a theme for each dinner and dresses up for it.

“I’m known for my crazy hats,” she said.

Hot dogs were the theme for July, so Bond wore a hot dog hat that had been a costume for her dog, and a volunteer dressed up as a hot dog. They passed out meals that way.

Bond also has a straw hat that looks like Minnie Pearl’s from “Hee Haw,” one with antlers, bat-wing antennas, and a whole slew of others for each holiday and theme.

“I get the happy part of seeing those faces. I don’t think I could stay inside and not see the faces,” she said. “People are very thankful.”

Anyone who would like to donate to the church for the dinners or volunteer should email the pastor at zionulc@ptd.net.