After handing out free, hot meals on Thanksgiving and Christmas, Leah Rader, with the help of some of her employees and family members, spent Easter Sunday at the Centralia Chevron gas station she manages doing it again.
Gather Church provided cooking equipment and Rader used it to prepare hot meals consisting of scalloped potatoes with ham, rolls, a salad, a cookie and a bottle of water. By the end of the day on Easter, 140 meals had been given away, Rader said.
Any leftovers not distributed were donated to Gather Church to be handed out to those in need during the beginning of this week. Rader is already planning the next holiday’s meal.
“On the Fourth of July, we’ll be starting at 10 o’clock (a.m.) and we’ll be doing hot dogs and burgers, maybe a potato salad and chips, and we’re going to be grilling outside the store as well,” Rader said on Sunday, later adding, “My assistant manager is going to be making some tamales, too.”
Rader, a 36-year-old mother of three, is a Lewis County Drug Court graduate and recovering addict who spent time living on the streets. She knows what even one hot meal can mean to someone experiencing homelessness.
“Being homeless on a holiday, not being able to go to family’s houses for a warm meal, it sucks. I just wanted to be able to provide that for people,” Rader previously told The Chronicle.
Lewis County Drug Court was created in 2004 and is a voluntary program for addicts charged with a felony, according to Drug Court Program Manager Stephanie Miller.
The program targets offenders with a poor prognosis for success on their own. It aids them with structure and support using a three-phase recovery program. Drug Court lasts a minimum of 16 months with most participants graduating after 19 to 22 months.
To graduate, a Drug Court participant must have a full-time job and stable housing, complete recommended treatment, be clean for at least six months and in the program for at least 16 months, have a sober mentor and pay any court-ordered fines and restitution stemming from their case, according to Miller. Once a person graduates, their charges are dismissed.
Rader graduated from Drug Court three years ago and has now been sober for five years. She once again thanked her coworkers and family for help as well as Gather Church for its support.
She continues to hope to inspire other businesses in town to help those in need during the holidays.
The Chevron Rader manages is located at 520 S. Tower Ave. in downtown Centralia, and Gather Church is located on 100 S. Rock St. in Centralia.
For more information about Gather Church, visit https://www.gatherchurch.com/.
