Linda, if you haven't already gone to bed, go now. You must be just about dead on your feet. Sweet dreams.

Ann

I am just remembering my father's funeral last December and how much we appreciated (and blessed) the ladies who provided the lunch.

This is wonderful work you're doing. At the worst of times you're offering a particular comfort.

Carol

Wow, that must have been nerve wracking, but then it was over earlier, lol...

I'm curious, does the church charge for the lunch ?

What service!

It seems to be customary, in my part of the world, that relatives and friends bring food to the funeral home. Of course, usually, it is a hodge podge of different foods. Most of the time it's more baked sweets than real food. All of the food is usually labeled with the deceased name and the person's name that brings the food to the funeral home so thank you notes can go out. Labeling is usually done by a predetermined family member or friend. Our funeral homes (at least the ones I've been to) do not have the room for 30 people to sit in comfort. It's more of a stopping in kind of thing and grabbing a cookie and moving on. Our church provides many services but nothing like this. For sure it takes devoted members to keep this kind of service going. Kudos to you and your helpers for doing this.

ugh! What a long day. Thank goodness you can think on your feet! Sleeping standing up would be good too, ha! Just hope they didn't forget to say thanks. Our pastor, who married Andy & Tina, said she would rather do a funeral than a wedding. Most weddings she is treated like the hired help with not even a thank you. Not ours, though, she is like family :) She said it was fun, and wore her (2nd) wedding dress (taupe lace) to perform the ceremony! In all the years I've known her, I had never seen it.

Judy

Yawn...!
I dropped like a tired dog last night!
No, we don't "charge" but we do expect a donation to "the kitchen committee". We are looking to do some kitchen updating. When I talk with the family, I try to remind them what a meal like we serve might cost if they had to buy it from someone who charged for their labor! And I also suggest that it's the generosity of some that allows us to provide the service without charge for those for whom it would be a hardship to have another fee to pay.

Around here, every church handles the gathering after the service in a different manner. Some churches always order in premade sandwiches and chips and stuff at a cost of from $5 to $7.50 per person...not per person that comes but per person that you think may come. So if you are thinking you many have as many as 100 for Aunt Bessie's funeral, you better order sandwiches for that many and if 50 come, you have 50 sandwiches left over!
Some churches do as we do and some ask for potluck donations.
But the best funeral lunch I ever had was after the funeral for my son in law;s grand mother, a dear Italian lady from the South side of Des Moines and a very Italian Catholic parish. Afterward we all went to the hall and the Italian cooks brought out steaming trays of manicotti and baked ziti and wonderful Italian salad and good bread and Italian pastrys for dessert!

Yes, it's a ministry, it's what I do, I cook. I don't teach Sunday school, I don't do well visiting sick people in the hospital, I don't go to disaster areas to help rebuilding...so I cook! It gives me great satisfaction to see silent subdued people come into the dining room after a funeral and gradually see them relax and see the sense of relief come over them and see them begin to laugh and remember. Many times I have sat in the kitchen, almost all cleaned up, waiting for the family to leave.
And in the process of doing this, I have sized up quite a few recipes to feed a gang! And I know how to put on a good meal for a crowd for only $1.00 to $1.50 per person, provided the cookies are donated!
Linda C