Loaves and Fishes Weekend Lunch Program

Loaves and Fishes is a weekend lunch program at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, served in the parish hall at 12:30 PM on Saturdays and Sundays.

The program began in the 1990s, when a small group at St. Peter’s began serving coffee and sandwiches from the trunk of a car on Saturdays and Sundays. The program quickly moved into the parish hall and became a collaborative effort with several churches and organizations forming independent teams to prepare and serve weekend nutritious lunches at no cost to guests. Each team plans, prepares, and provides the necessary food for the lunch they serve.

Members of St. Peter’s coordinate the program and form five of the ten lunch teams. Other teams include members from Aldersgate United Methodist Church, Adas Yoshuron Synagogue, St Thomas Episcopal Church in Camden, Nativity Lutheran Church, and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockland. Saint Peter’s also funds the overhead costs and basic supplies. Various local restaurants and stores often provide surplus bread, coffee, and prepared food. A welcoming sense of fellowship exists among both servers and diners.

On Christmas and Easter, Adas Yoshuron Synagogue prepares a special feast.  At Thanksgiving, St. Peter’s coordinates a traditional Turkey Dinner for 300-400 people (at the church and with take-outs to shut-ins). 

New volunteers and donations are adlways welcome. Contact the church office if you are interested in joining a St. Peter’s team. 

Click here to make a donation to support this ministry.

Area Interfaith Outreach

St. Peter’s is an active member of the Area Interfaith Outreach, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing emergency food for those in the community.  A church member serves on the AIO board, and various volunteers coordinate the weekly collection of food supplies for the AIO pantry, located at the intersection of Thomaston Street and Broadway in Rockland.  During the Sunday worship services, the collected food is blessed during the offertory before being delivered to the AIO Pantry.  For more information, visit the AIO Website (aiofoodpantry.org). If you are interested in becoming active in this ministry contact the church office.

Community Groups Sharing Facilities

St. Peter’s offers regular and periodic use of its facilities to community groups, with preference given to organizations whose missions are compatible with St. Peter’s.  Facilities are also available for private rentals or for-profit groups. Interested parties can review St. Peter’s Rental Policy online (Click to view) and contact St. Peter’s Parish Administrator for further information.  St. Peter’s is committed to working with interested parties to make our space use affordable.

• Twelve-Step Programs meeting at St. Peter’s:
  • • Narcotics Anonymous
    • Alcoholics Anonymous
    • Overeaters Anonymous
    • Rockland Recovery Dharma

•  Other groups that have shared facilities within the recent past include The Toy Library, YouthLinks (Broadreach), Health Workers (MaineHealth), Trekkers, Boy and Girl Scouts, Midcoast Recovery Initiative, cooking classes, and numerous organizations for special meetings.