April Walther has a question for you that's revealing, maybe a little scary, and definitely important. "What," she asks, "makes a person go on living?"

Walther is the Volunteer Coordinator for God's Kitchen, a feeding program sponsored by the Salisbury Urban Ministries. Her observations after a couple of years of doing this work give her some strong opinions about what is not the answer to this question.

"At the end of a person's life," she points out, "they're not thinking, 'Gosh I wish I had worked harder at my job,' or 'Gee, I wish I had lived in a bigger house.'"

If work and status aren't what's really important, what is? "It's the relationships people build with their families and friends," she answers. "What keeps you alive," she continues, "is the human connection of knowing that people care about you."

The feeding program where she volunteers addresses not only people's hunger for a meal, but their tremendous spiritual hunger for connection and caring. We'll get to the spiritual part of the program in a moment, but first, let's look at what goes on during a typical Saturday meal at God's Kitchen.

The volunteers provide meals for roughly 100 people each Saturday. The guests there are often homeless or destitute or up against seriously hard times. About a third of them are children.

The sixteen churches-all denominations-plus the local businesses and community organizations that make up the Urban Ministries, take turns providing the meals. If you were present at one of the Saturday lunches, you might be surprised at how delicious the food is

. "We try to encourage people to cook as if it's for guests in their own homes," says Reverend Marsha Carpenter, Executive Director of Urban Ministries.

Other volunteers will tell you that they make a conscious effort to provide an excellent meal. They do it because it's an effective way to communicate to the recipients that they're important and people really care about them.

Recently the Zion Church United Methodists volunteers provided the meal. The guests feasted on deliciously seasoned chicken breasts; mashed potatoes and gravy; greens; applesauce; rolls and butter; and finally a rich and chewy chocolate brownie covered with walnuts.

The meal may have been delicious, but for Walther something more important was going on than just eating a very good meal. "The food is there for one

day," she points out. "Experiencing love and genuine concern is something that lasts and lasts. It means the world to them."

She goes on to say that for many of the guests, this is one of the few places that they get to feel loved. If you were to watch her and the other volunteers, you'd get a sense of how this happens.

Walther is constantly greeting people by name, hugging them, holding their children in her arms, or leading small groups in gospel songs. Her friend John Beasley frequently accompanies her.

There's plenty of music at God's Kitchen. Marsha Tyler, one of the Zion Church volunteers also played for the guests. You can almost touch the warmth and fellowship and spirit that fills the room when everyone is singing the gospel hymn, "This Little Light of Mine!"

Diane Wilkinson, another Zion Church volunteer, counts the whole experience as an immense blessing. "The volunteers get just as much out of this as the people we serve," she says enthusiastically.

God's Kitchen is one of six programs sponsored by the Urban Ministries.

Others include:

· A Health Ministry, in which volunteer nurses provide health screening
· A Youth Council that helps meet the spiritual needs of 300 teens.
· An Urban Choir Camp for more than 40 children · The Lazarus Fund Food Pantry and Financial Assistance Program, which helps people in crisis with food and money.
· The Kids Café, a partnership with the Maryland Food Bank that provides food and educational programs and emotional support

If you'd like more information about Urban Ministries, contact Rev. Carpenter at: 410 749 1563.

Salisbury Urban Ministries Wish List:

• Volunteers
• Money
• Non Perishable Food for the Food Pantry
• Internet-Capable Computer with a Zip Drive
• Toys
• Birthday Decorations for Kid Birthdays
• Lists from Employers of Job Openings, including job description, qualifications required, pay offered, and where the interview will take place. .