Warm holiday meals delivered to Mission guests

The Rev. Dr. Marion Platt, Star Gospel Mission executive director, left, poses with F3 volunteers.

A local group of F3 men, dedicated to fitness, fellowship and faith, delivered home-cooked holiday meals across Charleston on Dec. 17, including to the guests of Star Gospel Mission. 

“When F3 provides hot meals like this, it allows our Mission guests to enjoy moments of wholesome fellowship and community,” said Mission executive director, the Rev. Dr. Marion Platt. “This is perhaps the most added benefit: with friends and neighbors at the table, every meal becomes soul food.”

The Warm Meal to Warm the Soul effort, headed by Realtor Brent Boatwright and his wife, resulted in a total of 315 meals given to those in need of holiday cheer across the city of Charleston. Crews of men with F3 Holy City delivered the hot food and gift bags to six different locations. 

“We want to give them a warm meal, but also, we want to warm their hearts. Some people getting the meal could really be in a bad spot,” said Mr. Boatwright. “A lot of the people who serve with us are Christians. We tell them, “If you want to pray with people, you can.’”

A City-wide Effort

This year, about 50 people volunteered to make the city-wide effort possible. 

“I've been really blessed. I always have the volunteers I need,” Mr. Boatwright said. 

For some deliveries, the volunteers brought their children along with them, including the two men who delivered food to Star Gospel Mission.

This year, Mr. Boatwright relied on about $4,000 of donations from the community to cover the cost of gift bags and the food, cooked and packaged at James Island Christian Church. On the menu this year was braised beef, fried potatoes and vegetables in a gravy reduction and topped with a pie crust. 

“I send an email out the Monday after Thanksgiving so I have three weeks to get all the donations together,” he said. 

The majority of the costs for the annual effort goes to the items in the gift bags, delivered with the meals. Every year, he and three or four other volunteers make a trip to Costco and fill three large flatbed carts with items for the gift bags. 

Along with Star Gospel Mission, meals went to two other Charleston nonprofit organizations: Doors of Freedom, which supports survivors of sex trafficking, and My Sister’s House, a domestic violence shelter. 

The F3 crews also dropped off 100 meals for the staff, patients and their families in the pediatric care unit of the Medical University of South Carolina. 

“We try to give them items that will be a blessing to them: books, shower, bath gel, shampoo, conditioner, snacks and coffee K-cups, to warm them up,” Mr. Boatwright said. “The nurses request sweet things and items to help them do their job more efficiently like Sharpies and Post-it notes.”

The F3 crews brought meals to people who are homeless, gathered in two places: Marion Square at 329 Meeting Street and the intersection of Rivers and Cosgrove Avenues. The gift bags to those individuals included essentials like toothbrushes, toiletries, socks and snacks.  

Mr. Boatwright said he tries to cater to the specific needs of each location. 

“We want to serve as best we can,” he said. 

Grassroots Inspiration

Mr. Boatwright and his wife started Warm Meal to Warm the Soul eight years ago. He was inspired by how a friend of his pooled donations for a Christmas dinner for the homeless in Charlotte, North Carolina. He and his wife wondered if he could do the same for the people of Charleston. 

“We both have backgrounds in culinary arts, and we wanted to give to folks in need around the holidays,” he said. 

He said he thought the best part of the effort was when his volunteers have time to just hang out and talk with the people they serve.

“We’re blessed to show some love to folks,” Mr. Boatwright said. “I have a good time. It’s fun, and I get to hang out with my friends and do this.”