OGDENSBURG — Starting next month, food and fellowship will be on the menu every Tuesday at the Salvation Army.

Capts. Timothy J. and Angela S. Shaffer call it the North Kountry Kitchen dinner, to be held from 4 to 6 p.m. each Tuesday beginning Feb. 5.

In cooperation with the United Way, the Salvation Army will serve meals to all at no charge.

“It’s kind of like a restaurant style of eating,” Mr. Shaffer said.

Meals will be prepared and served at the Salvation Army, 401 Franklin St.

Both agencies will pay for the food. Mr. Shaffer said the Salvation Army’s contribution to the cost has yet to be figured out, but the United Way’s appropriation for this year is $2,800.

The Shaffers expect the dinners to attract all walks of life, all ages, families, the needy and those who are alone.

And that’s fine.

“Some people come for the fellowship,” Mr. Shaffer said.

So there is more to the dinners than the satisfying feeling of a good meal.

“Our goal is to get them to interact,” he said.

Mr. Shaffer said the North Kountry Kitchen moniker is a deliberate attempt to present the dinner in a warmer, more familial vein than the gloomy, wait-in-line, Depression-era connotation of a soup kitchen.

“We want to lose that stigma,” he said.

The menu, which has been set for the year, will include a main course, beverages and desserts. Takeouts are not available. With portion control in mind and to keep from running out of food, second helpings can be had only after 5 p.m.

Food allergy concerns can be addressed by calling the Salvation Army at 393-3351. Menu changes, however, aren’t always possible.

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