Westmoreland residents ring in 2022 with pork, sauerkraut and cautious optimism
A cautious optimism about the coming year was on full display among some of the people waiting in line for a New Year’s Day meal at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Mt. Pleasant Township.
“Happy new year,” one man wished another.
The response came back quickly: “I hope it is.”
The delicious-smelling food at St. Paul’s annual New Year’s Day community meal — which is (technically) marking a decade after skipping 2020 — certainly offered a promising start to the year, along with the fellowship.
“I enjoy the people,” said George Prasnitz of Unity, who was finishing up a plate loadedwith pork and sauerkraut.
About 20 members of St. Paul’s, other local churches and volunteers organize the meal each year, according to Pat Smulkstis of Mt. Pleasant Township.
“I really enjoy the people, they’re fantastic and a lot of them help out,” Smulkstis said as she kept an eye on the serving line and the dessert table.
A group worked for three hours on New Year’s Eve preparing to cook 70 pounds of mashed potatoes as one of the side dishes, and got going at 9 a.m. New Year’s morning for a meal that truly reaches beyond the church walls and out into the community.
“We served 171 people the last time we had it in 2019,” Smulkstis said. “And everything that’s left over gets taken to the men’s shelter in Latrobe.”
As for what 2022 may bring, Prasnitz said he’ll take it as it comes.
“You don’t know what to look forward to, you just see what it’ll be,” he said.
Joan Tua of Latrobe has joined Prasnitz at the dinner the past five years, after learning about it from a friend who is a church member. She said she’s got a lot to look forward to in the new year.
“My granddaughter will be going off to college, and that’s exciting even though makes me a little sad,” Tua said. “But it’s wonderful to see my daughter (Kelly Tua Hammers) being sworn in as a magistrate. And my son got married this year after losing his wife in a car accident, so I’m very glad he has some happiness in his life.”
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.