Macy Mitchell is making it happen.

She’s doing what so many other people are doing right now. She found a need during the coronavirus pandemic and is using her gifts and passion to fill it.

Macy says it all started when she checked on her 83-year-old grandfather, who admitted he was depressed.

“What can I do to help?” she asked. Her grandfather said, “I would really enjoy a home-cooked meal.”

“Done,” said Macy, who loves to cook. “I can do that.”

She was ready to get started, but then Macy thought about other elderly people – and parents stuck at home with children – who might also like a home-cooked meal. As a schoolteacher, Macy says she’s been at home with her six-month-old baby since the schools were closed.

Macy reached out to her church, Bearden United Methodist in Knoxville, Tennessee. She asked the church to send out an email with her offer to cook and deliver one of three foods — chicken pot pie, lasagna, or chili, all free of charge — on Thursday or Friday.

Seven families responded to Macy’s offer with a yes! “Most of them were elderly single people,” says Macy, “but one was a family of five with a special-needs child.”

In all, Macy spent about $100 on food. She was extremely careful to take safe, sanitary steps  – for example, by washing her hands after adding every ingredient, sterilizing the disposable pans with hot water, and delivering food on doorsteps and leaving without contact with the recipients.

Macy’s ministry was such a success that she already has eight new people to cook for next Thursday and Friday! She added cornbread to the chili orders and a box of chocolate-chip cookies to every order. The most popular choice, she said, was the pot pie.

“I have a wonderful recipe for chicken pot pie,” she said. “It’s a family recipe that we just kept making better.”

Macy is not only generous with her ministry. She generously offered to share her chicken pot pie recipe with you. (See below.)

Please help us share more cooking stories like Macy’s! You may reach me directly at AnnetteSpence@holston.org.

Makes 3 pot pies. Freezes well!

• 6 refrigerated pie crusts
• 3-4 cooked chicken breasts
• 4 cans Veg-all mixed vegetables
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese
• 1 15-ounce can of corn
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can cream of potato soup

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Follow package directions for pie crusts.
3. Shred chicken
4. In a medium saucepan, mix cream cheese and sour cream until melted and blended.
5. In a large bowl, combine chicken, corn, Veg-all, cream cheese mix, and soups.
6. Divide mixture evenly into 3 pie pans.
7. Bake for one hour.