Cooperative Living May 2018 - 36

GoodSamaritan | by Mary Howell, Contributing Writer
Chincoteague's Manna Café Nourishes Body and Soul
Fran & Bill Lytle Presented with the Electric Cooperatives' Good Samaritan Award
Fran (at center) and Bill Lytle with their Good Samaritan Award. Pictured (from left): A&N Electric Cooperative (ANEC) CEO Butch
Williamson, ANEC Board Vice Chairman Christopher Bott, VMDAEC Award Committee Chairman Herbert Patrick, Fran and Bill Lytle,
VMDAEC Board Chairman James Huffman and ANEC Board Chairman Add Nottingham.
A
weekly gathering in Chincoteague
on Virginia's Eastern Shore
disproves the old saying, " there's
no such thing as a free lunch. "
Every Monday morning, volunteers
arrive at Christ United Methodist Church
to prepare a nutritious meal. Bill Lytle
leads the cooking, while his wife Fran
and other helpers set out salad,
beverage and dessert tables in
Fellowship Hall, a cheery room with
oversized windows that flood the
dining area with natural light.
At 10:30 a.m., everyone pauses in
their work to join hands in prayer. Over
the next two hours, the room steadily
fills with people of all ages and walks of
life, including watermen, hotel employees,
senior citizens and children with their
parents or daycare providers.
Feeding the hungry is the Lytles'
passion, but their efforts have evolved to
provide much more. Everyone is welcome
at Manna Café, where entrees are served
34 | Cooperative Living | May 2018
on china plates and companionship is always
on the menu. Volunteers often pause in their
work of setting out food or clearing tables to
chat with friends and welcome newcomers.
" What began as a service for a dozen folks
now provides 300 people a week with social
interaction as well as a hot meal, " explains
Carol Meyers, an A&N Electric Cooperative
member and Manna Café volunteer who
nominated Bill and Fran for the Good
Samaritan Award after reading about it in
Cooperative Living magazine.
Fran and Bill own Brand Champs, a
successful content marketing, branding
and digital communications firm with
clients in Philadelphia and New Jersey.
Wanting to give back to their community,
they launched Manna Café in January
2017. The combination of Fran's social
media expertise and Bill's love of cooking
quickly grew the Café's following across
Accomack County. More and more
people showed up each week, with many
becoming regulars.
Conversations with a few participants
attest to the success of the Lytles' ministry
in partnering with local businesses that
donate much of the food and supplies.
" I've met more people by coming here than
from all my years living in Chincoteague, "
one diner noted. For others, Manna Café is a
meeting place where they can catch up with
old friends. And for some, it has been a lifeline.
" Our home burned down two days
before Christmas, " says Warner Ross. He
and his wife Ethel lost everything but the
clothes on their backs. They learned about
the Manna Café soon afterwards, and have
been coming ever since. " People have been
so good to us! " Ethel exclaims, adding how
they received donated furnishings for their
new home.
Starting last October, Manna Café's
ministry expanded to provide meals to
shut-ins and those without transportation,
delivered by volunteers from nearby St.
Andrew's Catholic Church.
Working behind the scenes with staff at
www.co-opliving.com
JAY DIEM PHOTOS

http://www.co-opliving.com

Cooperative Living May 2018

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