Santa Maria Del Mar Church's community suppers brings a 'sense of community' to those in need

'When I see the smile on the people's faces and the feedback I hear of how much they enjoyed it — it's worth every minute,' said John Cospito, a volunteer with Santa Maria Del Mar Catholic Church.

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Palm Coast resident John Cospito, wearing a blue apron and a bright smile, is right at home in the kitchen at the Flagler Beach Santa Maria Del Mar Catholic Church.

“I enjoy cooking,” he said. “I enjoy helping people that are struggling. It's worth the satisfaction to see people enjoy [a hot meal] when they either can’t eat or aren't able to get out [of their homes].”

While Cospito and his fellow volunteers were dishing out a special hot Thanksgiving meals to locals in need on Nov. 27, Santa Maria Del Mar has been hosting free weekly meals for Flagler County residents for years. Cospito has been volunteering with them for over 8 years, and now manages and organizes the weekly suppers.

Cospito said he wants people to know anyone can find a free hot meal at the church every Monday evening.

“We have a community supper every Monday, everyone is welcome,” Cospito said. “There is no charge. It's open to the community. It's dedicated to those that are struggling; however, everyone is welcome.”

The Monday community suppers are held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the church’s Parish Hall. Around 400 people usually show up for a meal, he said, and just recently, they had 408 people show up — the first time more than 400 people have attended a supper at Santa Maria, he said.

Despite the demand, Cospito said they don’t run out food, and people can either take their meal to go or sit and enjoy it at one of the tables inside. There are even some people who pick up 15-20 meals to-go, he said, just to deliver them to residents who can’t drive or are not able to leave their homes.

“It means everything to me, to be able to know they give it someone who otherwise wouldn't eat,” Cospito said.

According to data from Feeding Northeast Florida, Flagler County — with its population of 131,000, according to U.S. Census data — has 13,350 food insecure people with a food insecurity rate of 12.2%. Volusia county has a population over 553,000 and has a food insecurity rate of 13.4%, according to Second Harvest Food Bank, which serves the Central Florida area.

The United States Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as a household-level economic and social condition where there is uncertain access to adequate food. Nationally, 13.5% of American households are food insecure.

Te Santa Maria Del Mar Catholic Church and volunteers do their part by donating time and food to those in need in the community.

For the Thanksgiving Day meals, the Cospito’s team donates a certain amount to Team Feed Flagler that would cover the cost of both the meals they are making and for 100, $50 gift cards, Cospito said, though the card value may vary each year. The gift cards are handed out to the Santa Maria Del Mar congregation members who may need help buying food for a Thanksgiving meal.

Team Feed Flagler then takes the money and makes the food and gift card purchases through Winn-Dixie.

Santa Maria Del Mar is not the only local church that works with Team Feed Flagler — a local nonprofit that organizes food pickups for Flagler families who are struggling.  Santa Maria and Hammock First Baptist Church both held Thanksgiving meals on Wednesday Nov. 27 from 3-6 p.m. while Bridges, A United Methodist Fellowship and Palm Coast United Methodist Church held their Thanksgiving meals at 11 a.m. on Nov. 28.

According to their website, in 2023, Team Feed Flagler and these four churches were able to provide 1,087 families with grocery vouchers and serve 1,050 hot Thanksgiving meals.

The Thanksgiving meals were with complete turkey, gravy, potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie for everyone, and the volunteers greeted everyone with a cheery smile. Most of the people who showed up for a meal took it to go; but many also chose to sit down and eat with their neighbors at the tables set out in Parish Hall.

The suppers aren’t just about providing a hot meal to those in need, Cospito said — it’s about providing that sense of community, too.

“When I see the smile on the people's faces and the feedback I hear of how much they enjoyed it — it's worth every minute,” he said.

 

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