ANDERSON COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — What started as a response to concerns about food stamp cuts has blossomed into a weekly tradition bringing neighbors together over home-cooked meals at the Anderson County Library.
The library's shelves remain filled with books, but on Monday evenings, the tables overflow with food as people gather for a potluck dinner that has more than doubled in size since its launch.
"Melissa, our adult service librarian, came to me back when during the government shut down and said, what can we do for our community? I think a potluck would be good. I told her let's see what we can get and run with it," said Tara Russell, library director.
The inaugural potluck on November 17 drew around 30 people. This past Monday, 71 community members showed up to share a meal together.
"We are currently looking at a way that we can at least try to do this once a month because we do think it's a really good thing. It's community coming together. It's people sitting down and talking to people they normally wouldn't talk to," Russell said.
The weekly menu varies thanks to contributions from community partners and local churches. Recent offerings have included pulled pork, ham, turkey, casseroles and Mexican soup.
Guests can enjoy the meal, take home leftovers, and any remaining food gets donated to Open Hands Food Pantry for their Tuesday night potluck.
"The food is not getting tossed. It is getting used and passed on throughout the community," Russell said.
The growing popularity of the Monday evening gatherings shows no signs of slowing down.
"It seems like we're gathering up about an extra 10 to 15 people every week," Russell said.
What began as a way to help families has evolved into something much larger – a second home where strangers become neighbors over shared meals.
