SOUTH THOMASTON – There's nothing more traditional then corned beef and cabbage on St. Paddy's Day. Where to find it? That's the question. Any restaurant can serve you up a portioned plate for a price, but where can you find piled high on your plate and seconds if that's not enough? The People's United Methodist Church, 13 Chapel St., South Thomaston, was one such place. They hosted a St. Patrick's Day supper featuring New England corned beef dinner, yeast rolls, dessert and a beverage, all for just $8.

The dining area in the church filled to capacity as people waited for the service to start. Served buffet style, there was plenty of everything to feed even the heartiest appetites.

The dinner served as a birthday dinner for one of those attending. Vera Mathieson celebrated birthday number 94 with family and friends at the dinner.

Susan Jones who is a church member and servers as choir director coordinated the efforts of volunteers to make the dinner happen.

Jones said the key to the dinner was math.

"Estimating what we did last year," she said. "Did we have enough, too little, too much? We set up nine tables and this is our first dinner of the year. In the summertime we have tourists, and there are not a lot of tourists in March, but it looks pretty full tonight, so we guessed about right."

People's United Methodist Church does a dinner each month form March through October.

"Sometimes there are themes," she said. "St. Paddy's Day has a built in theme. We have about ten church members who volunteer to set up, clean up and cook, but we also have people who donate food as well."

Jones said they started prepping food on Friday. The meat went in the oven to roast at 10 a.m. Saturday morning and the prepped vegetables went in about 3 p.m. that afternoon.

Pastor Michele Wiley serves as halftime pastor at People's United Methodist Church and halftime pastor at John's Street United Methodist Church in Camden.

People's United Methodist Church was one of the original founding members for the Area Interfaith Outreach Food pantry in Rockland and remains its biggest donor to this day.

"The pastor who was here was Miriam Chamberlain, but the exact year eludes me," Wiley said. "There were a significant number of people who were going around church to church trying to get monies to pay for food and utilities assistance."

Wiley said Chamberlain and some other pastors in the Rockland area got together and decided to start a concerted effort to open a food pantry. People's United Methodist Church and other churches in the Rockland area collaborated to open the AIO Food Pantry.

"AIO is now the primary food pantry for the Midcoast region," she said. "We are one of the biggest contributors both financially and as far as volunteers, picking up food, delivering food and stocking shelves. We have two church members who sit on the board of directors for AIO and two women here sit on the board that organizes Pies on Parade which is the biggest fundraiser for AIO."

Wiley has been at People's United Methodist Church for six years. She is an ordained minister, she also taught music on Vinalhaven before joining the church in South Thomaston.

Wiley said the monies that come in from the public suppers at People's United Methodist Church, the ministries also help charities in addition to AIO, including Hospitality House, Coastal Opportunities and other programs.

"Our choir director thought a St. Paddy's Day dinner would be a great idea," she said. "People are looking to get out of the house. This is the only supper we move the date of the supper. We try to have a theme for our other meals, too."

Wiley said starting the second week in June through the second week in August they do a public breakfast every Friday to supply scholarships for campers.

"It's wonderful to see this many people come out in March," she said. "We're such a small church, it's amazing that we can do such big works. If I can, I'd like to give a big shout out to Jessi Wiggins at Wiggin's Meats. Without him, these dinners would be a lot more expensive."

To learn more, follow People's United Methodist Church on Facebook at facebook.com/Peoples-United-Methodist-Church-of-South-Thomaston-Maine-521303254659390/?ref=br_rs