Heeding the charge to feed the hungry
BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer

ABERDEEN- When people volunteer their free time to help others, it inspires something much greater inside their own being.

Township Deputy Mayor Wilhelmina Gumbs knows this firsthand.

As a volunteer with the Cathedral International Church in Perth Amboy for the past five years, Gumbs has become a staple in the lives of many a patron of the church's soup kitchen.

"It is my passion," Gumbs said. "It is such a pleasure."

Every Thursday Gumbs can be found at Costco purchasing food for that evening's meal. With funds from the church and donations to the program, Gumbs is able to buy supplies to serve meals like last week's dinner of beef stew served over rice with bread and butter and a glass of iced tea to wash down the freshly baked cake a regular volunteer makes just for the soup kitchen meals.

Gumbs said she is one of about six regular volunteers who come from all over the state to serve at the soup kitchen, located across the street from the Cathedral International Church on Madison Avenue in Perth Amboy at the Cathedral Family Life Center. The church also has a location in Asbury Park.

"We have a volunteer from Bordentown and another man comes from up in North Jersey," Gumbs explained. "People love to volunteer with this, so they come from all over. We really have a nice crew here."

According to Gumbs, the program was originally feeding about 15 people, but has recently grown to serving 118 people.

"We start serving at 4 p.m. and we play Christian music in English and Spanish," Gumbs said. "Everyone gets a ticket upon entry and every 15 minutes we draw a ticket and give away things like toothpaste or toothbrushes."

Gumbs also said that ministers from the church provide minisermons to the diners.

The program also accepts donated clothing, which, Gumbs said, shows up in her driveway regularly, ready to be handed out on Thursdays.

"At Christmastime, people donated winter clothing and one person had actually given us about $200. So we bought hats and gloves and scarves to pass out to the people coming to eat," Gumbs said.

Gumbs explained that some of the people coming to the dinner have been living in shelters and their belongings had either been stolen or lost, stressing the importance for the soup kitchen to hand out something other than food.

For Gumbs, the bonding with the patrons has become a regular occurrence.

"I have been invited to young people's graduations," Gumbs said. "Some of them call me Mom."

Gumbs said she gets a lot in return for being part of providing the disadvantaged with food and clothing.

She said, "I really think that this has been one of the most rewarding things I have done in my life."