During the winter months, we provide dinner to about 120-140 folks at the Gilroy Armory. The Youth are responsible for coordinating dinner the 1st Sunday of each month, and the congregation provides dinner on the 3rd and 5th Sundays. For more information or to volunteer to help, call Denise Melroy, Janet Braslin, or Jeannie Clayton (for the Youth). The Armory is a cold-weather shelter operated by Emergency Housing Consortium.

Typical Menu

• 12-14 Chicken Pot Pies or Pasta Bakes (see Recipes, below) or 5 pots of chili or beef stew
• 5 gallons of milk
• 5 gallons of juice
• 8 bags of green salad and 4 bottles of dressing
• 4 desserts (cookies or cupcakes)
• soft fruit (18 bananas, 2 dozen oranges, 3-4 pounds of grapes)
• 4 large cans of fruit cocktail
• 3 bags of rolls plus tub of margarine (for pot pies or pasta bakes) or 60 baked potatoes (for chili/stew)

Recipes

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

3 cans Cream of Chicken soup
3 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey
3 1-lb bags frozen mixed vegetables
4 cups Bisquick
1.5 cups milk
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 400°F. In 9"x13" foil casserole pan, combine soup, meat, and veggies together. Stir together remaining ingredients and pour over vegetable/meat mixture. Put full casserole pan on cookie sheet (to give it support) and bake 30-40 minutes.

Pasta Bake

2 lb. hamburger or Italian-style sausage
1 large onion, diced
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 jar red pasta sauce
1 13-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8-oz. or 13-oz. can tomato sauce (if needed)
2.5 cups dry pasta
1/2 lb. mozzarella, cubed (optional)
1/2 lb. mozzarella, shredded

Preheat oven to 350°F. In large pan with stove set to medium high or high, brown hamburger or sausage. Add onion and celery, and saute until transparent. Drain fat from the pan. While meat and vegetables are cooking, cook pasta (probably in 3-quart pan) according to package directions. Add pasta sauce and diced tomatoes to meat/vegetables, stir, then add cooked and drained pasta and cubed mozzarella (if using). If mixture seems a little dry, add tomato sauce. Pour mixture into 9"x13" foil casserole pan. Top with shredded mozzarella. Put full casserole pan on cookie sheet (to give it support) and bake 40-45 minutes.

Alternative: Heat purchased frozen lasagna (in 9"x13" pan) according to package directions.