By Anne Marie Amacher
DAVENPORT — In a move to find the best option to feed the needy at Easter time, St. Anthony Parish’s social action committee tried something new this year — a cookout.
Linda Bauer, parish council president, said demand for Easter food baskets was never as high as Thanksgiving and Christmas food basket requests. Last year, the parish decided to show off its new parish center and invite people in need to a full dinner there served by volunteers. “We had way more volunteers than people show up,” she said.
This year, the parish decided to offer a cookout April 29 near the McAnthony Window which regularly serves food to people in need. Around 110 people at the cookout were served a rib eye steak, macaroni salad, baked beans, cake and soda in a temporary setup in the parish’s parking lot.
That number was quite a bit lower than the 200 or more guests the committee had hoped for.
Anne Morey, who runs McAnthony Window, said the number of patrons was about average for this time of year. During the summer the window may serve 150 or more people a day. At the first of the month the numbers are lower when people have received various forms of financial assistance.
Morey said a line formed at 9 a.m. for the cookout, but trickled through the rest of the serving time until 11 a.m. McAnthony Window’s regular hours are Monday through Friday from 9-11 a.m.
“We will continue to look for the right mix,” Bauer said. “We hope to hear from the parishioners of St. Anthony or others who can give us ideas on how to feed the needy at Easter.”
