A church ministry to feed Apache Junction’s underprivileged one day a week is staffed by a cadre of volunteers at various stations.
Many arriving April 11 for the community feast held noon-2 p.m. every Saturday at Desert Chapel United Methodist Church, 462 N. Palo Verde Drive in Apache Junction, were on foot or riding a bicycle. They stood quietly outside before doors were opened, first being directed to a table with hygiene items and tables pushed end-to-end teeming with canned and boxed foodstuffs, then to a line for two freshly dished-up packed hot meals.
The number of people getting the church’s free meal on Saturdays has increased during the first quarter of 2026 over each of the previous four quarters of 2025, but drops off during summer.
