On Mondays, they are really cooking up a storm at the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Duluth.

The Duluth Center for Women and Children make a meal each Monday for dozens of families.

On the day we visited, it was veggie mac and cheese. It’s called the Food Forward project.

Amber Pelfrey explained, “We have a list of recipes that we worked on. And we recently added new recipes as well.”

All the ingredients for a healthy meal are prepared and then delivered to the doorstep of between 35-40 families. Most receive them for free.

Amber Lightfeather is grateful for the kits. “It’s healthy, and with food so expensive now, it’s amazing to have locally sourced fresh fruits and veggies. If I went to the co-op, it would be a lot of money for us.”

Some of the women we introduced you to during our First Ladies of the Hillside series in 2021.

Rachel Ross is one of them. “It brings a smile to my face, knowing that I’m helping people who may not otherwise get healthy food.”

New women have joined the group, like Cyndi Behning. She’s Amber Pelfrey’s mother. “I love it, the people are great. The food is so healthy. It’s great to be involved in a project like this. It’s unique.”

Sonja Eagle is getting back into the workforce. “I love it. I love being able to help give back to the community.”

And Keauna Olson was referred from another First Lady. “Just trying to get my life back together. Didn’t want to do something and take on too much at once. This is perfect for me, for now.”

“It was the women who realized there was food insecurity in the Hillside, and we could address that with preparing partially prepared meals,” shared Connie Black, the executive director.

A grant from the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation is helping them grow this, so they can become financially sustainable.

Aparna Katre is a board member of the non-profit, and has been with working with the women for years. “It’s largely going from a small dream, to trying to do something, and seeing where this has come now,” she told us.

Katre said it’s more than just feeding families. It’s about social change, lifting people out of poverty and providing them a way to make meaningful progress.

Sponsors like Joelle McGovern are happy to support the women.

For more info: https://www.duluthcenterforwomenandchildren.org/

The Touchstone Celebration airs at 6:30pm on Thursday, right here on WDIO.