The St. Andrew's United Church is holding its second offering of the newly launched monthly free supper on Monday, Mar. 2.

It runs from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the church, 128-1st St. E.

Offered is both a regular and gluten-free spaghetti dinner. Sauces, meatballs, and cheese are all be served separately, enabling them to accommodate a wide variety of dietary needs, (vegetarian, gluten-free, lactose intolerant, vegan).

"This makes the most sense for us to be able to connect with as many people as possible," explains Rev. Ray Goodship.

As with their weekly Tuesday free lunch, it's about connecting people, no matter their walk of life.

"It's about community, friendship, and coming together," says Goodship. "We have no other agenda than that. It's free because we don't want any barriers to anyone. We have a barrier-free building, and we don't want cost to be a barrier, either."

In February, there was an overwhelming response to the first monthly supper. They served 87 people, many more than the 70 they had anticipated.

"The way it worked out, people came and went. Nobody had to stand, we had room for everyone, and we had enough food so we just kept serving it as long as people kept coming in. We had a great time, super feedback."

Additional financial support from the Kimmett Cup has allowed them to expand upon the original five-month pilot, says Goodship.

"We've got funding now to keep this going through the rest of the year and probably a little bit into 2021. We're really excited about the support we're getting, and the support we're getting from people signing up, ready to volunteer."

To volunteer, you can go online or contact/drop-by the church. 

"For this to be a true community event, we also want to engage outside groups or individuals and families to come and participate in the voluntary aspect."

The meal is prepared and served by two teams, one starting at 3:30 p.m., the other at 5:30 p.m.

This and offer volunteer opportunities at the church can be found here.