Natalie's Everyday Heroes: Everyone's welcome for free lunch in Whitewater

WHITEWATER, Wis. (CBS 58) -- They say there's no such thing as a free lunch, but we found out that's not true.

There's a place in Whitewater that's been serving up free lunch on Tuesdays for 25 years.

They just want to bring the community together -- no strings attached.

The sign outside the First United Methodist Church points people in the right direction.

"Good morning! How are you?" asked Terrie Parenteau. "There's some hot apple cider and we've got coffee."

Parenteau can be found greeting people, welcoming them in for a free lunch. She's been coordinating this program for 10 years.

This time, the crew of volunteers is serving up breakfast for lunch.

"Can I do one blueberry and two plain?" asked a guest, holding out her plate.

Parenteau and her team served up pancakes, egg bake and a lot of tasty sides.

"We feed people! We have so much fun," Parenteau said with a big laugh.

It's a Tuesday tradition here in Whitewater.

"The atmosphere is very nice," complimented another guest.

It's been going strong for 25 years.

"We try to be family. That's the whole thing. This is family to us," she said.

And just like in a family, there are people of all ages.

This program started to feed students from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

"I sent the first three students who showed up. They're now two doctors and a chiropractor," Parenteau remembers.

And now it's open to the whole community.

"Terrie's very, very generous with anything she does here," said Mickie Miller, who comes to lunch after calling senior bingo.

Miller usually comes with a few friends -- this time, Dorothy and Rose.

"Once they try it, they're hooked. They want to come every time," she said.

Ben Solana is a regular, too.

"We've been making time for lunch on Tuesdays every week this semester," said Solana, a senior business major.

People mix and mingle, enjoying the food and the hospitality.

"These are the people you don't see on campus, right. So, when you come here, you get to see who the true people of Whitewater are," Solana said.

"They don't care if we're in college," Miller said. "They don't care if we're 99."

And that's exactly what Parenteau wants to see.

"Come and have lunch. Break bread together. That's what we're supposed to do," she said.

In fact, take some food to go.

Parenteau wants to send everyone on their way with enough to eat.

"If you want to take an extra meal, we're not going to ask you what it's for. You don't have to justify. You're welcome to go back for seconds," she said.

Free lunch Tuesdays served 275 meals the week before we were there. They count the meals, not the people. The program is run on donations. Parenteau says she has faith that they'll get what they need to feed people.

Tuesday, Dec. 9, from 10:30- 1 p.m., will be the final free lunch of this year, and it will start back up when UW-Whitewater students return at the end of January.

For more information, visit https://www.whitewaterfumc.org/.

If you'd like to nominate an Everyday Hero, send Natalie a message at [email protected].