Weekend homeless feeding program thankful to the community.

Amid the flurry of activity associated with the reopening of the Lord’s Diner on May 10, diner program director Michael Peoples almost forgot how fitting it was that the program started by his mother, Delsie Peoples.

Delsie Peoples passed away more than two years ago, but her presence remains strong throughout the organization, which feeds the homeless at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Callahan Drive in East Bremerton.

To this day, people still come up and tell him how his mother helped them through a difficult time in their lives, Michael Peoples said.

“That is right, isn’t it?,” he said, when reminded that the next day was Mother’s Day. “That’s really cool.”

During the two months the diner was closed, other homeless feeding organizations felt the strain countywide, because the diner is the county’s only weekend homeless feeding program, he said.

“It feels good,” he said about reopening. “I’ve been with the organization for 10 years and this is the longest we’ve been closed.”

With the liability insurance and other issues raised by the church remedied, Peoples said the most important thing is to get back to accomplishing the organization’s mission.

“It’s really vital that we do this,” he said.

Saturday’s numbers were far less than the diner usually experiences as only about 30 people gathered for dinner compared to the 300 to 400 who normally attend, he said.

“That’s not surprising, because a lot of people don’t know we’re open again,” he said.

The Diner will continue serving the community from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and plans are underway for a reopening celebration at a later date.

The Lord’s Neighborhood Diner needs donations of food, clothing and money. Send checks to the program c/o St Paul’s Episcopal Church, 700 Callahan Drive, Bremerton, 98310 or by calling (360) 377-0106.