Lots of things are cooking in the Diocese of Washington. Here’s a quick look at some recent food-related activities:

120 casseroles and counting

The St. Mark’s, Silver Spring Casserole Program (which was featured in this column in July/August 2009) celebrated its first anniversary in February.

In its first year, the program’s volunteers prepared 120 casseroles – which each serve six to eight people – and delivered them to Elizabeth House in Laurel.

The parish reports that for the last few months several extra casseroles also have been prepared for St. Mark’s parishioners in need – and this despite a recent casserole Sunday being snowed out. Kudos to the church’s “choppers, dicers and slicers.”

Fresh Foyer Groups form

Toward the beginning of each year, All Souls, D.C., changes things up by asking parishioners to sign up for a new Foyer Group. The first dinners begin in March.

Dinner groups include about 10 people who rotate the responsibility of hosting the meals. They gather at least four times a year in homes, restaurants or in the parish undercroft and are headed by a captain, who usually hosts the first dinner, facilitates communication and ensures the dinners continue to take place. Butch Bradburn is the coordinator of the program.

“This is an important program at All Souls,” Bradburn says. “It is one of the activities that unites those who worship at the 8:30 and 11:30 services.”

Holiday Supplement to parish cookbook

The Women of St. Francis, Potomac are gathering recipes for a Holiday Supplement to the St. Francis Cookbook.

They are looking for favorite family recipes enjoyed on special occasions, especially entrees, vegetables and one pot meals.

If you are interested in contributing recipes, please send them to info@stfrancispotomac.org with “Holiday Recipes” in the subject line.

Grate Patrol seeks volunteers

St. Alban’s, D.C., is seeking volunteers to shop, cook, make sandwiches or deliver food as part of its twice-monthly commitment to serve a nutritious evening meal to people living on the downtown streets as part of the Salvation Army’s Grate Patrol.

Volunteers are invited to participate as much as they like in the various duties. Shopping volunteers visit the grocery store twice a month. Cooking volunteers meet two Wednesday evenings a month to make chicken pasta and bake raisin bran muffins. And sandwich volunteers gather on the second and fourth Fridays of each month to make sandwiches and assemble the evening meal for delivery.

On these days, volunteers load the Salvation Army van at 6:45 p.m. and ride downtown to serve dinner to more than 100 people living on the streets.

This year, the ministry will serve 3,840 meals, involving at least 384 volunteers. For further information, contact Susan Morris at srm3108@aol.com or 301/718-9379.