BY KADIE VICK
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LAFAYETTE— Zēk’s 37 is more than just a pizza shop and cafe; it also serves local people experiencing hunger through its Big Serve events and a pay it forward board.
“Zēk’s 37 was a 30-year dream that my husband and I have had,” said co-owner Veronica Roesly. “We are pastors at Penton Church of God. We have been all over this country at different pastorates, and the Lord gave us a vision of opening up a pizzeria restaurant to do ministry out of.”
Roesly said that they host a weekly Big Serve event that operates like a soup kitchen for people in the community experiencing homelessness or hunger through utilizing food from local restaurants that would otherwise get thrown away.
“I encourage all the different denominations, groups and families to sign up for Sunday, they come and we serve between 4 and 5 p.m.” she said. “People come in at about 3:15, and Krave Korner brings her food down. Monty Alban 3, we get his food the night before. We bring our food in and we put it all together. Whatever we have, we serve until 5 p.m., or when we run out of food.”
For different groups and churches who volunteer, Roesly said they are welcome to share their religious faith in whatever way they feel led to.
“Whatever group is here that particular Sunday, they’re responsible for not only setting it up, but tearing it down and cleaning it up,” she said. “During our Big Serve, they’re also responsible for playing Christian music, preaching a sermon or whatever it is that they feel led to do. That is their time to be able to serve.”
The food that is donated for the Big Serve events would otherwise get thrown away because of health codes, because many of the local businesses are closed on Monday.
“We have to throw the food away if it’s not used within seven days,” Roesly said. “So this is done by the businesses, we bring all of our food together, we repurpose it and then we send it out to those who need it.”
Along with the Sunday Big Serve events, Zēk’s 37 also has a pay it forward board where customers can choose an item off the menu and pay for it, and a piece of paper with that menu item is placed on a board where locals experiencing homelessness can exchange the piece of paper for the meal written on it and a cold water.
“You pay it forward for the person who may need food during the week,” Roesly said. “If they feel led, customers will buy tickets, like a pizza, and we put it up on this board. So if anybody comes through those doors and they’re hungry and they don’t have money, they go up and they grab a ticket, they come up with no questions asked, they get a meal, and they get nice cold water with it to refresh them. We have had an overwhelming response from the community buying the tickets.”
Roesly said that she has been asked if people take advantage of the pay it forward board and the Big Serve events, and she said she responds the same way every time.
“The Lord tells us that we don’t grow weary in doing good, that we are commanded to love,” she said. “I’m just going to let the Lord deal with it and and if they are hungry, they’re going to get a meal from us and let God deal with the rest. You can’t let those thorns block out the good that you’re doing for the ones that need it.”
For those who are interested in donating, Roesly said that utensils, paper plates, napkins and food are always appreciated and at Zēk’s 37, they make sure the last person to leave the Big Serve event is fed.
“If by any chance we’re not able to get the food from the other restaurants because they went through their food and they don’t have anything, we’ll go to the local grocery stores and we’ll buy it ourselves to be able to provide a meal on top of what we’ve got here,” she said. “We haven’t gone without. We haven’t run out to where we had to turn anybody away, but people can always donate.
To learn more, visit Zēk’s 37 on Facebook.
“We’re just two people trying to make a difference,” Roesly said. “We can’t solve the problem of hunger around the world, but we can make an impact here in our community. Bringing awareness to what we have allows people to step up and to step out.”
