St. Paul’s to become more accessible

When St. Paul’s United Methodist Church was built in 1914, accessibility for people in wheelchairs and mothers with strollers wasn’t much of a consideration.

Instead, steep steps were built with many turns along the way.

The church at 1620 N. Monroe St. not only holds worship services but also provides a meeting place for Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and other support groups as well as martial arts classes for kids.

One of the biggest programs at St. Paul’s is the Women’s & Children’s Free Restaurant in the church basement.

“It’s an incredible program,” Craig Hirt said of the restaurant, which provided 27,000 meals last year. Hirt is chairman of St. Paul’s board of trustees.

For many patrons of the church and its programs, getting inside the building has been troublesome.

Members of the church have discussed this problem for many years. At one time, they decided to build elevators, but the cost of the project and maintenance turned out to be prohibitive.

Then it was decided to build two ramps into the building – one to lead from the parking lot to the main floor of the church, where services and meetings are held, and the other to go along Augusta Avenue into the church basement to reach the restaurant.

There also are plans to retrofit the restroom in the basement to make it wheelchair-accessible.

The project is expected to cost $166,000, and many of the funds already have been raised. Some were collected when the elevator project was in the works.

“We’re closer than we’ve ever been before,” Hirt said.

To earn the rest of the money, the church is planning a fundraiser for Sept. 15 at 10 a.m.

Hirt said the plan is to organize teams of five people each to load 100 pounds of food onto hand trucks at Cash & Carry URM, a grocery wholesaler at 902 E. Springfield Ave. that provides some food to the Women’s & Children’s Free Restaurant.

So far, two teams have signed up for the race.

Once the hand trucks have been loaded, the teams will push them, relay-style, to the restaurant, a distance of a little more than two miles.

The teams will be greeted by a carnival in the church parking lot.

It will include a cakewalk, hot dogs, McGruff the Crime Dog and Operation Family ID to fingerprint children for use in an emergency.

Since 1988, the Women’s & Children’s Free Restaurant has been serving dinner to low-income individuals and families twice a week.

Every Friday, it also provides an opportunity for free grocery shopping for its clients.

The restaurant prides itself in offering fresh fruits and vegetables as well as eggs and dairy products. It also prepares take-home entrees to be heated up for dinner.

Marlene Alford, executive director of the restaurant, said that she, the volunteers and the restaurant must meet the same requirements as any other restaurant in town, including obtaining food and beverage workers’ permits for all volunteers working in the kitchen.

Dinners are served by waitresses. Diners sit at round tables while they enjoy their meals and converse with one another.

“Our volunteers take a lot of pride in making it look nice,” Alford said.

On Fridays when the restaurant opens its pantries to shoppers, volunteers do not collect the food for the recipients. The idea is for everyone to choose foods they like and will eat.

“People think that just because it’s free, they’ll take anything,” said Alford. Not so, she counters.

She said it’s important that her shoppers get food they like and know how to cook.

Alford noticed a few years ago that shoppers were avoiding certain foods, such as asparagus. She found out that many shoppers didn’t know what to do with it.

That’s when volunteers started giving shoppers tips and recipes. They also post signs near the foods about cooking techniques. Alford says communication between shoppers and volunteers provides a friendly atmosphere.

The restaurant provided 27,000 well-balanced meals last year, and hauling that much food down the stairs has been tricky.

“Our volunteers are usually retired,” Alford said. She added that only a few volunteers are able to bring cases of food into the kitchen, pantries and freezers.

The new ramps not only will help get food into the basement but also will encourage shoppers and diners who weren’t able to negotiate the stairs to come to the restaurant.

Alford estimates the ramps will increase attendance by about 10 percent.

Hirt said the church has applied for the proper building permits and expects work to begin in October.

He hopes the ramps will be in place by Christmas.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Alford said. “It will be a real blessing.”