The listing in the Independent calendar section advertised a free meal at Esther’s Kitchen. And that’s what I expected taking the steps down the basement inside Christ United Presbyterian Church on Lyon Street.

Esther’s Kitchen, as it turns out, offers much more.

I found Tony there helping to serve the scrambled eggs and bacon. Three years ago, a friend suggested he check out Esther’s Kitchen. He is now a regular.

He has a job, but he just needs a little help.

Dave sat at the front table.

“What does Esther’s Kitchen mean to you?” I asked.

“It’s at least one meal for me,” Dave said.

His wife sat next to him.

“We don’t have a kitchen at home,” she said. “It does help us out extremely well. And I’m very thankful for the (Esther’s) kitchen and what Adrian does here to help provide low-income families with a meal so we can eat.”

A woman on the other side of Dave also expressed her appreciation.

“For me, it helps me get through the month because without coming here, we will go hungry,” she said. “We are a low-income family. If it wasn’t for this place, we wouldn’t make it through the month.”

And who is Adrian? You might say she’s Esther. Well, she’s the woman who runs the kitchen.

“Today is breakfast for supper. Eggs, bacon, toast and fresh blueberries,” Adrian Hibl said. She is the site coordinator for Loaves & Fishes. It’s a nonprofit based in the Twin Cities which provides nutritious meals to people across Minnesota who are hungry.

“I do breakfast for supper about every other month,” Hibl said. “Last night we had chicken nuggets with real breast meat chicken. And then mashed potatoes and fresh chef’s salad and oranges.

“We try to hit all those food groups. It doesn’t always happen. We don’t always have fresh fruit.”

What Hibl does have, are about 35 to 75 hungry folks who drop in to eat 5:30 to 6:30 four evenings a week.

“A lot of people who come have full-time jobs or unable to work because of a disability or those kinds of things,” she said.

According to Hibl, Esther’s Kitchen has been offering free meals daily in the basement of the church since 1981. But three years ago, Loaves & Fishes took over the site. Hibl said the organization wanted to reach out into the state beyond the Twin Cities. Besides Marshall, Loaves & Fishes has sites at Aitkin and several Minneapolis suburbs.

“Esther’s kitchen is a free meal for anyone in the community. No questions asked. So everyone is welcome for any reason,” Hibl said. “We target market to the low-income of the community. Our goal is to end hunger in our community. And a lot of people are down here.

“They are here for two reason. One, financially, they aren’t able to eat anything healthy. If they eat, it’s Ramen Noodles and Mac and Cheese. They can’t afford a balanced meal. So we provide it.”

But the second reason, according to Hibl, is companionship.

“We have people come down here, typically the elderly, that are just plain lonely and they need some place to get out of the house for awhile. So they come down here and make friends,” she said.

Hibl is a culinary school graduate who needed a job in her field. Loaves & Fishes needed a site coordinator in Marshall. So far, it’s worked out well. Hibl is able to use all the skills she learned at culinary school, including hospitality.

“My goal, personally, is that no one is afraid to come on down. I will do anything I can to help them,” she said.

That includes rides home during the winter.

“Right, Tony?” Hibl asks one of her volunteers. “I have given Jimmy rides home so many times, he keeps coming down.” She then laughs. Tony smiles back.

Others with no teeth or dentures need help with their sweet corn. So Hibl shaves the corn off the cob for them.

“We make it work,” Hibl says with a smile.

So those in need do get a little more than a meal at Esther’s Kitchen. They also get a smile and a little help with the sweet corn. And plenty of friendship as well.

You can follow Mike Lamb at Twitter@indymlamb