The Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries is an interfaith service that provides food and fellowship to those in need and educates our community on hunger and poverty.Our Essex Meal Site
Meal site location - Mondays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
The First Baptist Church in Essex, 10 Prospect Street, Essex
Betsy Bochman runs this meal site with the help of volunteers. They serve an average of 90 meals a month.
Here is a snapshot of one of several of the Essex meal site teams:
The Team of "Betsy & Jeannine" at the Baptist Church of Essex serving dinner on July 21st, 2014. (l-r) Betsy Bochman and Jeannine Wyszkowski
Date of Visit: July 21st, 2014
Meal Time: Monday Dinner from 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Today's Team: "Betsy & Jeannine" at the Baptist Church of Essex
When: The 3rd Monday of the month.
Site History: The Baptist Church of Essex was the very first SSKP site, and served our first meal 25 years ago. Eleven people came that first day in the winter of 1989. They opened the following week for a second meal. That brought fourteen people. On that basis they decided to serve meals every week. Last year SSKP served over 7,200 people and provided enough food for 908,000 meals!
Special Meal: One of this team's favorite meals is "Breakfast for Dinner". The guests love it, too, and enjoy delicious breakfast favorites like quiche, French toast and hash browns.
Today's Menu: Swedish meatballs and gravy over buttered rice, fresh garden salad, homemade coleslaw, green beans, and a mocha 7-layer cake with chocolate & vanilla ice cream.
Special Things: Every week a local bakery, Cozy Corner Bake Shoppe, donates a large assortment of baked goods and pastries that guests can take home. Today there was a large assortment of specialty breads, Danish rings, muffins and rolls. Also, at this site, the records are kept in "Menu Journals", which date back to 1997. Details about each menu and meal are recorded. Not only does this help different teams plan better, but it also makes a interesting record of the teams and their gifts of food and fellowship over the years.
Betsy Bochman
Team: "Betsy & Jeannine"
Town: Essex Baptist Church
Years on the Team: 7
Job: Meal Site Leader, cook, meal planning, everything.
Memorable meal: Once we made 4 or 5 kinds of home made calzones!
How did you become the Site Leader? This is my church, and I had been cooking on a team, and then took over for Scott Hollis when he had to step down.
About me: I'm expecting my 2nd grandchild (was due last Saturday) and I love being a "Nana".
Jeannine Wyszkowski
Team: "Betsy & Jeannine"
Town: Essex Baptist Church
Years on the Team: 8
Job: We are a team - we share all the jobs.
Favorite thing: Everyone loves my panko crusted chicken breast. I coat them with a mixture of apple juice, mustard and garlic.
Why did you join the Team? I love to cook and was looking for a community service opportunity.
Fun Fact: My son & I started taking ice skating lessons.
Directions to Baptist Church of Essex Meal Site
From the north or south on I-95:
- Exit I-95 onto CT-9 North.
- Take Exit 3 from CT-9 North.
- At the end of the exit ramp you will make a left turn onto Route 154.
- At the first light (just after the Fire Station and a commuter lot) you will turn right onto West Avenue.
- Continue on West Avenue up the hill past the Essex Library and Essex Town Hall to a stop sign.
- At the stop sign you will be at a fork in the road.
- Take the left fork onto Prospect Street. (Be careful when making this turn because traffic coming in the opposite direction on West Avenue does not have a stop sign.)
- Once onto Prospect Street, the road makes a sharp left and takes you past Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church.
- The driveway to First Baptist Church is just past Our Lady of Sorrows.
From CT-9 traveling south:
- Take Exit 3 from CT-9 traveling south.
- At the end of the ramp, make a left turn onto Route 154 and make a left turn at the first light onto West Avenue.
- Stay in the right lane after turn to avoid ending up back on CT-9.
- Continue on West Avenue and follow directions above.