HOME >>INCREASE FOOD ACCESS>>SERVE HEALTHY MEALS>>HOST A FREE LUNCH AT YOUR COMMUNITY CENTER

-HOST A FREE lunch at

YOUR community center-

People gather around a potluck table

The Local Food Council gets ready to feed a crowd! Along with the featured soup, patrons also receive bread and a side salad or vegetable dish. All of these recipes are given out during the lunch so people can make their favorites again and again.

Caswell County Local Food Council Community Soup Lunch

Yanceyville, NC – Caswell County

Every second Wednesday of the month, Caswell County’s Local Food Council hosts a free community lunch featuring a simple, homemade soup. 5-ingredient simple soup, to be exact.

 

Community members are invited to eat and commune with each other at no cost and receive a recipe card for the featured soup to take home. One of the local food council members, Leslie Zimmerman, explained a key reason the program works so well: The type of soup is not advertised leading up to the lunch. This keeps picky eaters or less adventurous foodies from turning down the lunch, and each soup reveal is a surprise to everyone.

 

Each recipe includes fresh, local, seasonal produce from Caswell County and most recipes are either vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free to accommodate all diets. The food council keeps the ingredient list to 5 ingredients to limit cost and demonstrate how easy it is to cook a meal. They also serve bread and a side salad at each lunch. The lunch is served cafeteria style, and the dining area is set up with long tables to encourage community members to eat together.

 

Aside from getting a healthy, free meal, guests also get a chance to eat with their neighbors and meet new people in their
community. The lunch is hosted in a Cooperative Extension kitchen located right off the Yanceyville town square, making it an easy location for community members visit.

You might also try...

Start a Summer Food Program
Start a Summer Food Program

Older couple purchasing fresh shucked corn.

press to zoom
Incorporate a Teaching Kitchen into a Public Space
Incorporate a Teaching Kitchen into a Public Space

Kitchen.

press to zoom
Start a Garden at Church
Start a Garden at Church

Women stand with wheel barrow of carrots.

press to zoom

Caswell County Local Food Council (CCLFC) serves their community lunch on a
wide scale to dozens of people at a time, but you can adjust your size to fit your audience. CCLFC
partners with local farmers and bakeries to purchase and receive ingredients from. They choose to serve
vegetable based soups for cost and quick preparation reasons, but feel free to add your favorite protein

to your own lunch. Whether it be soup, a salad bar, or a full entrée including side dishes, your
community lunch can be as simple or as creative as you want it to be.

 

Keep in mind that soups are versatile for all seasons, are easy to serve, and most people are familiar with them. You can also switch up with stews, chilis, curries, or chowders to match with what is currently in season. Remember Leslie’s trick; keep the type of soup a secret to get people to come each month!

​

Resources

​

Try

it!