If you walk through the Grove City Area Chamber Farmers’ Market, you’ll undoubtedly see the ladies of the Community Club selling their homemade noodles. And these aren’t just any noodles; not only are they delicious, but they are a club tradition that spans generations.
The Herstory of Community Club
The Community Club was started in 1917 by a group of women and girls who organized meetings to socialize and support the troops during WWI. They started off by sewing, knitting and hosting celebrations for the soldiers when they would return home.
The club is still going strong today with some members’ involvement going back to childhood. Linda Diehl, one of the club’s members leading the noodle-making, says participating in the club has become a tradition for many families in Grove City.
“We do have generations of grandmothers, granddaughters, daughters, and I think that’s one of the reasons it has stayed as long as it has,” she says. “We have one of our ladies who remembers being a little girl and being there making noodles.”
While the noodle-making tradition’s origin isn’t known for certain, it is believed that the women founders made them as an affordable way to feed many hungry mouths at once. To this day the club still serves chicken and noodle meals to hundreds of people at some of its events.
Labors of Love
The club has made noodles for so long that they have it down to a science. The week-long process requires teamwork, as each member is assigned a different job. Each batch is around 80 pounds, adding up more than half a ton of noodles per year.
Diehl says members of the club feel a sense of pride and responsibility to their community. This is what keeps them motivated to do the hard work it takes to keep up their noodle supply.
“I think everybody cares so much about everybody else,” she says. “They don’t want to let
anyone down and we certainly don’t want to let down the community.”
The money made from noodle sales is put right back into the community through donations. Proceeds are used for scholarships given to Grove City area high school seniors, as well as donations to Buddy Ball, Grove City White Christmas Food Drive, local Boy Scouts troops and more.
In addition, the goal of supporting active military personnel and veterans, established by the club’s founders over 100 years ago, has not been forgotten. Proceeds also benefit Wreaths Across America, Honor Flight Columbus and fund trips to bring veterans to Washington, D.C.
Diehl says charity work is one of the most important functions of the club and the members share a self-bestowed duty to help others in Grove City.
“Any way you can help anybody – you know, the neighbor next door, a friend at church – I believe it’s an obligation and I think we’d be better for it if everyone did it,” Diehl says.
Finding Friendship Through Food
Another important function of the club is creating a space for members to bond and build camaraderie.
Club member Stephanie Garrison says participating in the club has helped her create new relationships, as well as boost her self-confidence and find a worthwhile and enjoyable hobby.
“I used to be really quiet and never said too much, but it brought me out of my shell; it helped me grow as a person,” she says.
Many members have spent years working together with the common goal of supporting their community. With every day they’ve spent together making noodles, the women have become closer, and they hope to ensure the tradition continues for another 100 years and beyond.
“We’re all like family,” Diehl says. “To get to know each other and their families and you work together in different functions, you become really close friends and I think that that’s important. That’s probably why it’s lasted as long as it has.”
The club is always looking for new members to join in on the fun, especially young people who can carry on the club’s legacy of community involvement. The best way to get involved is by attending a club meeting. These meetings are held every second Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. in the Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce building. While the club is currently made up entirely of women, anyone and everyone is welcome to join the club’s family.
Getting Down and Doughy: A Look at the Noodle-Making Process
On Thursdays, the women order the ingredients for the noodles.
The following Monday, the workstation is prepared. Everything is cleaned, sanitized, assembled
and readied for noodle making. The eggs are beaten and the process of dough making begins.
Tuesday is when the fun really begins – it’s noodle day. The women start the process of rolling the dough and cutting it into noodles, which are flipped later in the day to make sure they dry correctly.
On Wednesday, the noodles are separated from excess flour to be weighed and bagged.
Over the weekend, the noodles are sold to the community and the cycle resets.
