Learning about Lunch with Neighbors
Trending
Diana and Greg Johnson, coordinators of the Lunch with Neighbors ministry housed at the First United Methodist Church, spoke with the Rotary Club of Elkins.
Lunch with Neighbors has its genesis prior to COVID, when the Johnsons, Shelley Hyre and Roger Corder were inspired to do something for the needy in the community. "We thought we needed a way of getting all of the denominations, or as many of the denominations as possible, working together to address the needs of the needy," said Greg Johnson. "Volunteers are hard to come by so we thought we should pool our efforts and started a nonprofit called Elkins United Christian Community Center [EUCCC]."
A local law firm provided pro bono legal services to establish the 501(c)(3) organization. It was the goal of the group to create an organization that would meet the needs of the needy in the community while attracting volunteers from multiple churches.
As the COVID pandemic was ending, First United Methodist Church's then-pastor Brian Seders asked the Johnsons to serve as co-chairs of its Missions Committee. The church provided $1,500 in seed money to provide one meal per week.
After initially serving a Monday evening dinner and that not being particularly successful, it was decided to serve lunch instead. Within six months of moving to lunch, the church was serving a meal three days a week on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
EUCCC receives grants that support Lunch with Neighbors as well as the feeding ministry at Woodford United Methodist Church. Meals are provided in the park and the services provided by EUCCC in the Refinery Church on Third Street includes lunch at 11:00, hygiene items and clothing for those in need.
Randolph County is rated "at risk" by the Appalachian Regional Commission based on the poverty rate, unemployment rate and average median family income. Randolph County's poverty rate is 20%, which places it in the lower 10-20% of all counties in the country.
"The need is there because there is a lot of poverty in our community," added Greg Johnson.
Lunch with Neighbors serves quite a few homeless members of the community. It also serves many who are on a fixed income such as Social Security that doesn't provide enough resources to get them through the month.
"It has turned into a social place. Some of them get together and sit at a table together, visiting with the other neighbors. They wouldn't go out to dinner to eat, so they come to Lunch with Neighbors to eat and visit with each other," said Diana Johnson. "Food insecure, homeless and people on fixed incomes come and eat."
The Lunch with Neighbors program is self-supporting and is staffed completely by volunteers. In 2022, Lunch with Neighbors served 9,933 meals; that number has increased to 26,481 in 2025. Through July 16 of 2026, 14,860 meals have been served, putting the program on pace to serve approximately 29,000 meals by year-end. An average of 175 meals is served each day, with as many as 272 served on a single day. Many who participate in the program take meals to their neighbors who are homebound.
"Our head dishwasher has widows in his neighborhood that he takes care of," added Greg Johnson.
Diana Johnson attributes part of the rise in the number of meals served to the cuts in the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) program as well as rising food costs that make it more difficult for those on fixed incomes to have enough food for the entire month. The Lunch with Neighbors budget for 2026 is $26,000.00, based on spending thus far.
"One thing that has helped us is that Davis & Elkins College collects leftovers throughout the week, refrigerating or freezing it, and we go pick it up. It takes care of one meal a week," said Diana Johnson. "It is a mixture of stuff but that has been a blessing."
The volunteers for the program range in age from 60 to 89 years old. "When we first started serving in the park, we met this man [a 'neighbor'] and he comes early to be there with the chef and help him and he works the whole time. It has changed his life," said Diana Johnson. There is one cook (there used to be two), there is a dishwasher and there are volunteers who come early to help with set-up and preparation for the meals as each meal requires five servers. There are two volunteers who deliver meals to those who aren't able to make it to the church and don't have someone who participates in the program to bring them a meal. According to Diana Johnson, not all volunteers are members of the church.
The program is funded and supplied through a number of sources. Kroger and Sheetz provide their excess inventory that is on the verge of expiring, Davis & Elkins College provides leftovers from its cafeteria during the school year, donations are received from multiple individuals and groups, Mountaineer Food Bank provides food through a USDA program, many civil organizations such as Tygart Valley Lions Club provide support and local businesses including Davis Trust Company support Lunch with Neighbors.
Grants to support the ministry have been received from the Pallottine Foundation in Buckhannon, the Tucker Community Foundation and the Snowshoe Foundation. "They [Pallottine] brought Sisters from Huntington to see what we were doing," said Greg Johnson. "Because of cutbacks in federal and state funding we reached out for the first time this year to the Tucker Community Foundation and the Snowshoe Foundation. They've filled the gap from the cutback in the government funds."
"We have neighbors who are giving donations. We have a gentlemen confined to a wheelchair with an adult child with special needs and they feel compelled to give," said Greg Johnson. "There is a lady from Coalton who loves to socialize who takes care of three widowers in Coalton."
While Lunch with Neighbors has been serving meals on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday of each week for many years, the program has now shifted to two meals a week, serving lunch on Tuesday and Thursday, from 12:30 to 1:30.
Gifts to support Lunch with Neighbors can be made via the First United Methodist Church. Gifts can be mailed to First United Methodist Church, 315 Kerens Ave., Elkins, WV 26241 or they can be dropped at the church office during office hours (Monday - Thursday, 9:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.). Gifts can also be made online at http://www.fumcelkinswv.org (Mission Feeding Ministry). Everyone is welcome to come and have lunch with the Neighbors.
Rotary is a global network of 1.4 million neighbors, friends, leaders and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change - across the globe, in their communities, and in themselves. Visit www.Rotary.org to learn more about Rotary International, visit the club's Facebook page - Rotary Club of Elkins – or contact 2026-2027 club president Karen Wilmoth at wilmothk@gmail.com for more information about the Rotary Club of Elkins.