As students turn onto 27th street they can already see a line outside the door to the basement of Asbury Church, also known as “Taco Church”. The lengthy line is filled with students including Junior Cole Finney, a frequent “Taco Church” visitor.

“A lot of my older friends during my freshman year told me about it and I went and I loved it,” Finney said.

Senior Olive Mantooth had a similar experience by also getting recommendations from upperclassmen.

“I found out about “Taco Church” my freshman year from some of my friends who would also go there,” Mantooth said.

With many students going to “Taco Church” weekly, many have noticed the price increase that took the price from four to five dollars.

“I would obviously prefer four dollars to five dollars and it does make it a little tighter for students, but I don’t feel bad about paying it because the money is going to a church,” Finney said.

“Taco Church’’s event organizer, Dot Kirkling, planned for students to be caught off guard by the price increase so a plan was put in place to support students who didn’t come prepared.

“The first day we had changed from four dollars to five dollars, we had someone sitting outside asking ‘do you have the amount that you need?’ and passed out dollar bills to the kids that only had four dollars,” Kirkling said. “At the end of the day, we had passed out eight dollars,”

Even though the price had a slight rise, Mantooth still thinks it is a good deal.

“At another restaurant I would usually spend at least 10 dollars but at “Taco Church” it’s half the price,” Manthooth said.

“Taco Church”’s location also contributes in making it a popular place for lunch on Thursdays.

“It is close to the school so you can walk there if you aren’t able to drive,” Mantooth said.

Since so many students visit “Taco Church”, it is a big responsitbiltity to keep the event going every week.

“It is my gift and it is my passion to organize and start things,” Kirkling said, “Since this is the 18th year, I kind of know what needs to happen to make it successful.”

The impacts of “Taco Church” go further than just an affordable lunch, consisting of up to four tacos, a bag of chips, a cookie, and a drink. The event forms a sense of community. The positive atmosphere that surrounds “Taco Church” is something that Kirkling hopes impacts students.

“I hope that they [students] see and sense that people care about them even though they may not know your name,” Kirkling said.