By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
YODER, Kan. — The Liverwurst and Fried Mush fundraiser for Mennonite Friendship Communities is coming up Friday. The funds raised pay for care for those who have outlived their funds.
"This is our 50th anniversary year," said spokesperson Susan Nisly. "We've been in Hutchinson for 50 years and we are a full care community. We have a retirement community with independent living, we have assisted living, we have health care and we have skilled rehabilitation."
Volunteer Leroy Hershberger said the fundraiser has been around for several years.
"This is going to be the 13th year that we've put on this mush supper," Hershberger said. "We missed one year during COVID and we're so glad we're past that. The idea came from a former board member, Joe Yoder. Some of his family comes from Pennsylvania, where this is still a really big deal. He decided, we're going to get together and do this. We started small and we've built up and we have maybe 800 to 900 people that show up for this event now and most of them truly love this Amish comfort food."
The event is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at Journey @ Yoder. The church is about one mile north of the town of Yoder off Yoder Road.
Fried cornmeal mush, for a person that's grown up on it, the best way I can describe it is a beautiful corn chip meets a french fry," Hershberger said. "You've got this hot french fry like thing made with cornmeal mush that's been poured in bread pans, set up, sliced thin and then deep fat fried to a golden brown. It's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside."
There's also a choice of the traditional liverwurst or whole hog sausage, and sausage gravy or tomato gravy.
The meal is by freewill donation. They typically raise between $15,000 and $20,000 for MFC at the supper each year.
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