Palace of Praise hosts first responders for lunch

In the wake of the devastating tornado that damaged so much property, many local churches and organizations have reached out to help those in need; and Palace of Praise in Poplar Bluff is no exception.

As a way of showing gratitude to first responders and clean-up volunteers, the church opened their doors and hosted a free lunch from 11-1, Thursday. However, most of the lunches had to be delivered.

“We already delivered 60 lunches to the teachers and school staff who are working at the schools today,” Associate Pastor Randy West said. “And we’re getting ready to send out a bunch of other lunches for the fire department because they have been battling fires all morning.”

West explained that the church had decided to host the lunch because so many people from multiple agencies — as well as volunteers — have been working tirelessly to help people recover.

“This is all about being the hands and feet of Christ,” West remarked. “Right now it doesn’t matter what someone’s personal views are or what their beliefs are. We’re all in this together, and the church just wants to help.”

West pointed to stacks of boxes and different supplies on tables.

“This is what’s left of one truck delivery. We’ve given away most of it already,” West explained. “We’re hoping to get another truck soon. Hopefully by the end of the day. There are just a lot of people in need out there.”

West said the church is partnered with Operation Compassion for the current situation.

“Soon we’ll be collecting school supplies for the kids to use when they go back to school,” West said. “We heard from a lot of teachers that it’s a really big need for these kids.”

Testimonies abound

Though the church is doing what it can to be of service to the community, West said he is “blown away” by the strong community spirit he has been witnessing.

“We’re hearing all kinds of testimonials. Some are good and some are sad,” he noted. “We’re seeing is this community coming together and helping regardless of any personal differences.”

Kent Miller, pastor of Palace of Praise echoed those sentiments.

“My heart is just warmed to see so many people helping,” Miller stated. “And I feel so glad to see all the young kids volunteering and helping. It says a lot about the youth here.”

John Sells, who works with maintenance at the Palace of Praise, said the meat for Thursday’s lunch started being prepped Wednesday night.

“By 6 a.m. we had people in here cooking,” Sells said. “We’ve already sent out dozens of lunch orders for people who can’t be here to eat lunch.”

Though the turnout wasn’t quite as big as initially hoped, those who were able to eat at the church were grateful.

“This is some really good food. It’s just another positive thing for this community,” said Poplar Bluff Police Department Patrol Captain Chuck Harris. “Things seem to be getting better now, and everyone is really doing their part to help. It feels good to see it happening in our town.”

The Poplar Bluff Fire Department couldn’t attend the lunch due to being called out to three different structure fires Thursday morning, but they had lunch waiting for them upon their return to the station.

“It’s always nice to feel appreciated and recognized by the community,” Battalion Chief Jeffrey Hale remarked. “I think this community has always had a high regard for the first responders; but a situation like the one we just went through tends to get everyone’s attention a little bit more.”

Hale said it sometimes feels awkward to receive such recognition for doing their job.

“More often than not, when something happens, the first person to help you is going to be your neighbor,” Hale noted. “That’s a big part of a community like this. It’s people helping people. We’re just a small cog in a machine.”

Firefighter Dustin Graves said it was nice to have lunch available after returning to the station and taking care of equipment.

“We were ecstatic to have lunch here waiting on us,” Graves said. “We definitely don’t look for recognition but it’s nice when we receive it.”

Firefighter Jamie Watson echoed those sentiments.

“We would also like to specifically recognize Barbara Horton,” Watson remarked. “She went out and spent her own money to buy three or four cases of Gatorade. And she is the one who brought us all our lunches from the Palace of Praise.”