Every Thanksgiving, thousands of families across Connecticut enjoy their holiday meals courtesy of community organizations like churches and charities. A Bridgeport pastor organizes one such meal drive on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
Reverend Sara Smith is the senior minister of the United Congregational Church of Bridgeport and the founder of the charity Nourish Bridgeport.
WSHU’s Haley Alvarado spoke with her about how she found her calling and what the spirit of gratitude means to her.
WSHU: What drew you to the ministry?
SS: Well, God won't let up on you if God wants you to do the work. …
I love running my church. We're very progressive and very open. One of the reasons I went into ministry is because I came out. See, before I realized who I was as a lesbian, I didn't really need God. God was a great idea, and I did all the things you're supposed to do, but I was doing fine on my own, and then I realized I was a little different than everyone else, and without God, I would not have gotten through that, because God was the one safe place I had. Couldn't go to the church, couldn't go to my family. Couldn't go to my friends. God became my breath. And so out of that, I realized I'm supposed to help other god of God's people, so that's why I'm doing it. And now I feed tons of people all the time.
WSHU: What does your church do for Thanksgiving?
SS: Oh, my goodness. Do we do Thanksgiving. We've been doing it for about 30 years. I cooked a full Thanksgiving dinner. Cooking turkeys on the Sunday before, and the whole church would smell like turkeys. And we'd have all the fixings, 200 volunteers, and it was wonderful. We'd feed about 800 people in three hours.
WSHU: Later, Reverend Smith founded the nonprofit charity Nourish Bridgeport.
SS: We sort of took the feast over, and we made it for. We give everything to 500 families that they need, from a frozen turkey to a full pan to all the canned goods, all the fresh produce. We now add lettuce from our indoor hydroponic farm, because we're the first nonprofit one in the state, and we do a pie, and that's how you have to say it pie, because that's where I say it where I'm from, and quick breads, I mean, you name it. So now we do feasts in a box and we feed it about 5000 meals.
WSHU: What role do you think the church takes on in feeding, clothing the community, keeping them warm, and how do you feel that builds a community for the people of Bridgeport?
SS: When I got here, I put on my collar and I walked the neighborhood, and I said, What do y'all need? I can't presume to know what people lived in that area because it's a poor area. They say, We need food, we need English classes. We need clothes. We need shelter. Sometimes we need friendship. We need hope. I was like, Okay, let's get to work. So that's when we threw the church doors open, and we now have a huge hot meal program.
Food is a tool. Food is a bridge And it's across racial lines, it's across economic lines, educational lines, class lines. We need that. So for me, food. We are food-centered. Everything we do is about food, but it really is a tool, because, you know, they're going to get hungry again, they're going to need groceries again, but the love and warmth and respect they feel when they walk in our door and they get it from all my staff and the volunteers, then that changes people, that softens the edge of life a bit.
WSHU: How did you see it come together at the event last Saturday?
SS: Oh my goodness, you should have seen we had every color, every I mean, we all had a hodgepodge of people there from all over, from New York to New Haven. …
But this is the kick when you give a hungry person a plate of food, it changes you. I think that's why people hunger for these things. I use that word symbolically. There are people who hunger for food, and there are people who hunger to have a reason, to exist, a purpose. It's our church's mission in the world. So we're doing good. We're taking care of our neighbors, we're doing what we're supposed to do. And you know what? When churches are all over suffering and closing and dying, we're thriving. We're doing great, and our churches become multicultural and multiracial; we're not just a bunch of old white people anymore. It's wonderful.
WSHU: With these divided times, have you felt a heavier weight on the meaning of Thanksgiving after this being an election year?
SS: Yes. I've really pushed my nOURish Bridgeport staff, as well as my congregation and my church, to think about what it means to love one another, and we're all called in every world religion to love and treat each other like we want to be treated. Every world religion has a golden rule. How are we doing on that? It's not just loving people like us, it's loving our enemies. So what does that mean? And how can we offer a hand of peace? It doesn't mean we have to give up what we believe, but can we stop killing each other over it? Let's listen. Let's learn to be humble. Let's have civility again, and we can still stand strong in our truth, but know that they're standing in theirs, and we've got to learn to get along.
WSHU: Can you tell me what you're thankful for this Thanksgiving?
SS: Oh, my goodness. Well, if I didn't say turkey and dressing, something would be wrong because I love food, but I'm thankful for the ability to know different people. I have people from all walks of life, and I get to know them. They're in my world, and they make it richer and deeper. If I only knew people like me, what fun is that? And then I think I add a little bit to them. You know, a white southern lesbian woman who also works for justice and peace for all people. You know, I'm kind of a rare bird, no pun intended for Thanksgiving, but I am grateful for all of those people who might be what we call different, and I'm one of them that they add to the complexity and fabric of our life. Isn't it rich? And yet, you know, we're not all rich, but we have the things that give us depth, meaning, and purpose. My mother said that before she died, everybody needs a purpose. I'm so old I don't have one. She's right, and so I know mine now is yes, feed our neighbors, but also work on loving the enemies and pulling people together to do both. I'm blessed I get to do this, so I'm glad God called me. I hope I'm doing what I'm supposed to do. I think I am.
