Mobile Loaves & Fishes Comes To EG

Mobile Loaves & Fishes, a catering truck that serves the homeless, rolled into East Greenwich Friday evening. Its mission wasn't to feed the hungry — although there are hungry here in EG as evidenced by . Rather, it was to showcase their efforts and perhaps inspire West Bay churches to take on the mission.

MLF is a nonprofit based in Austin, Texas, and was started there in 1998, bringing food to the homeless. MLF currently owns 17 catering trucks located in six cities in five states. In Rhode Island, the truck is staffed by volunteers from four Barrington churches and two churches in Providence. They deliver food 14 days a month, feeding 80 to 100 people each outing, according to Liz Crawley, a member of St. John's Episcopal Church in Barrington.

The truck was parked outside in East Greenwich on Friday in conjunction with a gathering of the Episcopal Diocese of Providence at St. Luke's.

"We're here tonight to highlight this because we'd like to have a West Bay church pick it up," said Crawley. "One of the best things about this is working in community with other faith groups," she said. Methodist, Lutheran, Catholic, and Unitarian congregations share the MLF work in Rhode Island.

What is it that really spurs Crawley and others to do this work, parking on streets in Providence, Newport, and Woonsocket to deliver meals?

"Meeting people where they are," Crawley said. "This ministry incorporates everyone. We'd love more."

The six churches working with MLF-RI now are: Open Table of Christ Methodist and First Unitarian in Providence, and Barrington United Methodist, St. James Lutheran, St. John's Episcopal, and St. Luke's Roman Catholic in Barrington.