HIGHLAND LAKES HELPERS: Rita Marquess heeds a biblical call to feed the hungry
Rita Marquess washes up in the kitchen of St. Frederick Baptist Church in Marble Falls. Marquess volunteers for the church’s two hot meals programs: Mission Marble Falls, which prepares and delivers food to shut-ins on Saturdays, and Mission Outreach, which prepares and serves meals at the church on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Staff photo by Suzanne Freeman
But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” —Matthew 14:16, English Standard Version
Meadowlakes resident Rita Marquess takes Jesus’ instructions to heart.
“That’s the call, that verse,” she said, referring to the Feeding of the 5,000 as told in the bible’s New Testament, Book of Matthew, chapter 14, verses 13-21.
Crowds of people had followed Jesus to a remote location on the banks of the Galilee. As the day drew to a close, the disciples urged Jesus to send the people back to the nearest town so they could find food for themselves. Jesus told the disciples to “give them something to eat,” and with two loaves of bread and five fish, they fed them all and had 12 baskets of food left over.
“Jesus calls us to feed many from very little, to take all the small parts and put them together,” Marquess said. “St. Fred’s has been doing that for about 33 years.”
Marquess is part of a team of volunteers at St. Frederick Baptist Church in Marble Falls that prepares around 1,500 hot meals each week for the hungry in the Highland Lakes. The Mission Outreach program serves lunches from the church’s fellowship hall on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Mission Marble Falls, with the help of four other local churches, prepares and delivers lunches to shut-ins on Saturdays.
The call to follow Jesus’ words did not come all at once for Marquess. It started when she was still working full time in the interior design business. A co-worker started a weekly lunchtime bible study that Marquess decided to attend.
“I went to it and my life took a turn,” she said. “It prompted me to say to my husband (James) that we needed to go back to church; that we needed to find a church home.”
They were living in Spicewood when they began visiting churches. They found their spiritual home at Trinity Episcopal Church in Marble Falls.
“We both walked into Trinity, and we felt like someone had put their arms around us,” she said. “We felt we were in the right place.”
After Rita retired, the couple moved to Meadowlakes to be nearer the church. James was already retired when they relocated.
“I realized I had over-dedicated my life to just work,” Marquess said. “I think the Lord gave me just enough time to get my senses together and say, ‘You need to be giving back and not taking,’ and so that’s what I did. I immersed myself in the ministry and outreach committee at Trinity.”
When the committee decided to start the Hunger Alliance, Marquess jumped right in. The alliance pulled all of the local food pantries together to communicate their needs to each other and make it easier for people to find food. The group held regular meetings and set up a website listing pantry locations in the surrounding area.
Ark of Highland Lakes, formerly Highland Lakes Crisis Network, has since taken over the alliance, which led Marquess to St. Fred’s. Finding a place to follow Jesus’ call is not hard in the Highland Lakes.
“This is such a volunteering community,” she said. “It’s a great place to be and practice your faith. There are so many other people who want to help and be a part of something bigger than themselves.”
For Marquess, two of those people are St. Fred’s pastor, the Rev. George Perry, and clerk, Bessie Jackson, who is also an active and outspoken community organizer and fundraiser.
“I’m in Bessie’s arena now,” Marquess said. “When I met Bessie and started being around Bessie, I said, ‘This is where God’s calling me to help.’ She’s a miracle woman.”
She praised the Rev. Perry for providing an open and inviting atmosphere for both the volunteers and the people they serve.
“Bessie and Reverend Perry, they embrace everyone,” Marquess said. “They make it an easy place to come and be a part of. St. Fred’s is a constant opportunity for anyone in the community to be able to eat and not go hungry.”
Family also plays a big role in Marquess’ life. Every evening, she visits her 94-year-old mother in an assisted-living facility, where she plays dominoes with her and a roommate. Six grandkids also keep her entertained.
Husband James died in January after 40 years of marriage. Marquess was planning a celebration of his life for early this month as this article was being written.
“His passing left a big space that will never quite be filled,” she said.
After her husband’s death, Marquess returned to volunteer work, which also includes doing St. Fred’s kitchen laundry.
“I’m busy with whatever assignments they give me,” she said. “I love the opportunities to still be able to contribute,” she said. “I love the people you get to meet and work with. You feel the spiritual benefits, too.”
Anyone wanting to volunteer is invited to stop by St. Frederick Baptist Church, 301 Avenue N in Marble Falls, and check out the opportunities to serve.
“There is no reason why people can’t be fed,” Marquess said. “Jesus gives us all the tools we need. If every person did some part of that, no one would ever go hungry.”