A South Whitehall church went the extra mile March 7 to lend a helping hand for a special cause.

Jordan United Church of Christ hosted a spaghetti dinner to benefit the family of Andrew Schaefer, 21.

The Emmaus native, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in December 2012, is now in remission.

Hundreds of church and community members turned out for the meal, which included 160 pounds of pasta.

Schaefer said he really appreciates the outpouring of support.

"It makes me feel really honored people come out and support this much, not only just for me," Schaefer said. "I'm sure for other people they would do the same. It's just a great community all around."

Mike Schaefer, his dad, said the outpouring of support brought tears to his eyes.

Jordan UCC, which has spaghetti dinner fundraisers for the Sunday School, and youth group, Koinonia, decided to make a special dinner for the longtime church family.

"We always do it for the Sunday School program, but it feels even better yet to be doing it for someone you know and you love, that's part of our church family you've known for years," church member and volunteer Cheryl Gagliardi said. "The little bit we can give back is awesome."

Many made a special effort to attend the dinner.

"This is a special one," LeAnn Kriner said. "We actually rearranged schedules to make sure we could be here.

"We've known Andrew for all his life, so there's no way we wouldn't have turned out for something like this."

Emmaus High School will be having a soccer benefit March 31 for Schaefer.