A Seat at Our Table: Why We're Starting Vinland Community Meals
When Sarah and I opened Vinland Meads, we wanted it to be more than a place where people could come drink mead.
We wanted it to be a hall.
A place where people gather. Where we eat together, talk together, celebrate together, and get to know the people sitting across the table from us.
This Community Meal idea didn't actually start at Vinland, though. It started several years ago, with a bunch of extra eggs.
Where This Idea Came From
A few years back, we had more eggs than we could use at the farm. Rather than let them go to waste, I reached out to our wonderful local food pantry and asked if they could use fresh farm eggs.
They could.
So when we had extra, I would take them up there myself on the day of the food pantry. A lot of times those eggs had pretty much come straight from our chicken coop.
And that's where something stuck with me.
I noticed that a large number of the people lined up for food were seniors.
They were people's parents and grandparents.
I suppose I already knew there were seniors in our community living paycheck to paycheck, and that the little bit of extra help they received from the food pantry could make a real difference.
But knowing something and seeing it are two different things.
These were my people. My elders.
Hell, some of them reminded me of my grandfather.
Worn out, maybe. But still striving.
I made myself a promise during those mornings that I wouldn't forget what I had seen. And if I ever got into a position where I could do a little more, I would.
I haven't forgotten.
And by the way, we love and support our local food pantry. If you have extra food, produce, eggs, or something else they can use, please consider giving it to them. Organizations like that do important work right here in our own community. Find there Facebook HERE or you can visit them 2nd Saturday of every month from 9-10:30 at 9623 FM 773, Murchison, TX, United States, 75778
Now We Have a Hall
We're certainly not rolling in money at Vinland Meads.
We're still a small family business figuring things out one week at a time.
But because this community has continued to come through our doors, eat with us, drink our mead, bring their families, listen to music, play games, celebrate birthdays, and simply spend time with us, we now have something we didn't have back when I was carrying those eggs to the food pantry.
We have a hall.
We have a kitchen.
We have tables and chairs.
And we have a place where somebody can come in out of the weather, sit down, and have a hot meal.
I love making soup.
I love a great conversation.
We've already got the hall.
So I started thinking...
Why wouldn't we have a free soup morning?
A Hot Meal and a Seat at the Table
Beginning in October, on select Tuesdays when I'm home from work, Sarah and I are going to open Vinland Meads from 10 AM to 2 PM for a free Community Meal.
The Meadery will be closed for normal business.
The taps will be off. Nothing will be for sale.
We'll have hot soup and fresh bread.
If a free meal would help, come eat.
If you're a senior who would enjoy getting out of the house for a while, come eat.
If things are a little tight that week, come eat.
If you just don't feel like eating another meal by yourself, come eat.
There is no application. No qualification. And nobody is going to ask you to explain why you're there.
There's a bowl of soup and a seat waiting for you.
Just Clyde and Sarah
We're intentionally starting small.
We're not asking our employees to give up their day off. We're not building a volunteer program. The dates are based around my work schedule because these are days when Sarah and I can do it ourselves.
We'll make the soup. We'll put out the bread. We'll open the doors. And when everybody leaves, we'll clean it all back up.
Maybe someday we'll be able to do more days.
For now, this is something we can do.
And sometimes that's where you start.
Our First Community Meal Dates
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Tuesday, November 17, 2026
Tuesday, December 15, 2026
10 AM to 2 PM
Vinland Meads
6504 State Highway 31 East
Murchison, Texas 75778
