Allen Trust helps feed community

June 4, 2020 1:30 am
Eugene Fraker is seen here preparing meals for the weekly Feeding 5000 free lunch activity at the Community Center on Maple Ave. Thanks to a generous donation from the Lloyd Allen Charitable Trust Fund a new kitchen appliance, seen at the back left of the photo, is helping Fraker bake homemade bread. Fraker and others volunteer each week to provide a noon meal to many West End residents, in recent weeks about 200 lunches each Tuesday. Photo Don Grafstrom
Eugene Fraker is seen here preparing meals for the weekly Feeding 5000 free lunch activity at the Community Center on Maple Ave. Thanks to a generous donation from the Lloyd Allen Charitable Trust Fund a new kitchen appliance, seen at the back left of the photo, is helping Fraker bake homemade bread. Fraker and others volunteer each week to provide a noon meal to many West End residents, in recent weeks about 200 lunches each Tuesday. Photo Don Grafstrom

About a month ago Eugene Fraker, a volunteer with the weekly Feeding 5000 Free Lunch activity that happens every Tuesday at the community center, spoke with Mary Ulin, a board member with the Lloyd Allen Charitable Trust. Fraker asked if the foundation would be willing to help with a donation of about $375 to help with the purchase of a new countertop Kitchenaid mixer.

To our astonishment, Fraker said, “They responded to Don Grafstrom, also a Feeding 5000 volunteer, and informed him that they would like to donate $2000!”

Fraker said he then priced out a larger mixer, a 20-quart commercial mixer able to mix 20 loaves of bread, 15 pounds of cookie dough or cornbread for 100 people. “It will save us tons of money as we’ll be able to mix our recipes, homemade style versus box/packaged mixes,” Fraker said.

Fraker has been volunteering at the weekly lunches since February and took over as lead cook mid-April from Laura Lafrenz after her years of service to this cause.

Fraker said, “Pastor Bob Schwartz also provides his services as our Pastor, and food purchaser; Chef Todd McGrail is my second cook and has been volunteering also since Laura left. Sherry Schaaf, Kathy Bone, and Sue Alexander have been volunteering for a number of years and are vital to this program, it would be difficult without them week in and week out.