Good Shepard Lutheran Church Plans Major Kitchen Upgrades to Continue Feeding the Sheep

In 2023 Students from Michigan Tech involved with the Good Shepard Lutheran Church near campus thought about ways to connect the community. Eventually, forming the idea to host a weekly night to offer a free meal to college students from Michigan Technological University. Pastor Sarah Semmler-Smith says that in the program’s first year, they served close to over 700 meals. And have welcomed an average of between 25 to 50 students each Tuesday.

Doing the updates to our kitchen will allow us to become a fully licensed kitchen under the Michigan code. Both give us more capacity, to cook. But also, we’ve been dreaming about different ways we might serve the community with a more updated and standard kitchen. We’re updating our stove and oven situation. And we will need to replace the domestic hood with an industrial one. Which will make sure we are safe while cooking. And that’s been the biggest cost for us. Along with some flooring and plumbing things like that. But the hood will be the largest expense. – Rev. Sarah Semmler–Smith, Pastor, Good Shepard Lutheran Church

Fighting food insecurity among college students often comes as a second thought to more vulnerable populations in the region. However, Semmler-Smitth knows that it’s just as important to make sure students in labs are full, just like how other programs focus on school-age children. She also adds that the space often acts as a communal area for many campus communities to find friends and meet new people.

For me, it’s knowing that it’s not just food insecurity for college students. However, loneliness is an epidemic among college students today. So for them to even just have a place to be, once a week, where they are always invited. Where they also have a purpose by helping volunteer. Many people start by coming and eating. Then ask, how can I help out? So it’s serving multiple purposes in the college community. And so it’s just been a beautiful thing to sit back and watch because our college students are doing this, with and for one another. – Rev. Sarah Semmler–Smith, Pastor, Good Shepard Lutheran Church

To continue operating the meal site for Feed My Sheep Good Shepard needs to complete large upgrades inside the kitchen such as a new industrial kitchen hood, plumbing, and two ranges. Semmler – Smith says that the overhead hood for the oven will have the highest cost in the project. Recently the group completed a portion of the total funds needed to update the kitchen. Those interested in learning more about the Feed My Sheep program with Good Shepard Lutheran Church in Houghton, and want to contribute to the meal site’s kitchen upgrades can find more details here.