Every Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m the Christian Student Center, 1503 Merchant St., welcomes approximately 300 students to a free pasta meal. Salad options along with warm spaghetti, bread, vegetables and desserts are offered for free to anyone and everyone.

“We’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember, at least over 20 years,” said Anita Wright, volunteer at the Christian Student Center. “When we first started offering lunch we had about ten to 12 students that would come.”

The Christian Student Center began this Friday tradition with a pancake meal, but after volunteer turnover the lunch menu changed. Spaghetti is the meal of choice because it is easy to cook for a large number of people. Spaghetti is also a cost efficient option; it is estimated that the cost per plate  is only $1.

Since they started offering a free spaghetti meal, the number of students attending has grown by dozens, according to Wright. The busiest time is at noon, right after students get out of class at 11:50 a.m.

The volunteers count plates to help keep track of how many people have been served. They also offer to-go boxes for students with busier schedules, so they’re able to grab a meal and eat on the go. 

“It’s very rare that I’m not there,” said Eli Stewart,  junior psychology major. “I usually meet up with a friend or two and go at 11 right after class. I usually stay for an hour and chat with friends while we eat.”

Volunteers Neil Tayler, Ginger Haas, Barbara Unruh, DeAnn Goertzen, Marge Serivner, Anita Wright, Kathy Weakley and Kathy Harder all help prepare for the spaghetti feed every week. 

 Although the Christian Student Center designates one person to do grocery shopping, many of the lunch items are donated by volunteers and organizations, according to Wright. Corky’s Cupboard donates the green beans for the meal and the volunteers bake desserts. 

Volunteers start putting the spaghetti and salad together Friday morning and the cooking continues until 2 p.m., Wright said. 

“Everyone has a different role in what they do, the first group arrives at 9 a.m to start preparing,” Wright said. “The rest of us just keep trickling in, everyone is here by 10 a.m. Then we stay until 2:30-3 p.m. to clean up.”

Leah Nelson, junior marketing major, said that she eats free spaghetti every week.

“I think it shows what the town of Emporia stands for,” Nelson said. “It’s a close knit community that gives with open arms, it leaves me with a smile and a full stomach every Friday.”

The Christian Student Center invites everyone to stop by and eat spaghetti. If students are wanting to help, they can talk to any of the volunteers about staying after to help clean.