Just One More A
By Julie B. Sevig
t first glance Just One More, a ministry of St. Mat- thew Lutheran Church, Wauwatosa, Wis., is all about food. By rescuing food that would otherwise
be thrown away and giving it to the hungry, the ministry hopes to wipe out hunger in Milwaukee. But Just One More is really about relationships. Consider Joy Craig, 22, who came along when a
neighbor picked up food at St. Matthew two years ago. Chris Capper, founder and executive director of Just One More, called to asked Craig if she wanted to volunteer. She thought he was joking, but showed up anyway—and did so two or three days a week for eight months. Craig is now the ministry’s warehouse assistant, the
first person hired when Just One More secured nearly $300,000 in grants. Not bad for a ministry that started with a donated
box of bread. “She runs the place,” said Capper, who drives Craig
to and from her inner city Milwaukee neighborhood so she can avoid a long bus ride. “I don’t run it,” she said, with a mix of shyness and
confidence. “I just know where everything is. Tis is my village. Tey changed my life.” Craig not only knows where everything is, she knows
where she might be if it weren’t for Capper and other adults who mentor her. When they first met, Capper encouraged her to attend church, and she did just that. She and four younger siblings now attend All People’s [Lutheran] Church in the heart of Milwaukee. Her life has changed, and she’s changing the lives of others. When food is distributed Monday mornings at St.
Matthew, Craig expedites the assembly and distribution of meals. She also takes some home to feed her neigh- bors, enabling one woman to seek reputable employ- ment because her food needs are being met.
CHRISTOPHER MANKE
Chris Capper and Joy Craig are two people at the heart and soul of Just One More, the food ministry of St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Wau- watosa, Wis., along with 12 other ELCA congregations, organizations and businesses in Milwaukee. The ministry rescues food that would be thrown away and puts it into the hands of the hungry, many of them poor or homeless.
It began with a box of bread Capper began attending St. Matthew aſter being released from the Milwaukee County House of Corrections. He asked whether the church could host a Celebrate Recov- ery group for him and other addicts. About the same time, he saw a bulletin announcement about the con- gregation’s new meal ministry and volunteered. One day
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www.thelutheran.org
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