For nearly two decades, the Dinner with Grace outreach program has addressed food insecurity and built community.
Twice a month, volunteers, tucked away in the corner of Grace Cathedral, cook holiday meals that they will later serve to people in supportive housing.
“This is basically our work space and it’s amazing,” said lead volunteer Nicole Stahl as she showed off the kitchen. The group comes up with recipes that they hope will bring joy to the people who eat them.
“Our menu tonight is this really fantastic cheesy ziti pasta dish,” Stahl said. “Everyone loves it.”
There was also garlic bread, salad and a raspberry crumble for dessert.
“These are people coming out of homelessness. They deserve all the support we can give them,” Stahl said.
Stahl has been volunteering with Dinner with Grace for almost 15 years. She lives within walking distance of the cathedral and sees all the people who need a hot meal.
“I never in my life thought there were people who could possibly be my neighbors, who would go to sleep hungry or who wouldn’t have a place to sleep,” Stahl said. “But that’s our reality.”
The group of volunteers makes approximately 2,000 meals per year. This batch will go to the Mentone, a permanent supportive housing site in the city’s Tenderloin.
Many of the same volunteers who cooked the meals will go to the housing site the next day to serve them, including Stahl. In the more than ten years that she has been volunteering, she has built a relationship with a number of residents.
Many people will live in these locations for years, but the holidays can still be lonely. A meal like this can bring a little extra joy and connection to residents like Harold Thornton.
‘I’m not from here. I’m from the East Coast,” Thornton said. “So when someone comes here and feeds us during the holidays, it’s almost a family affair now. So I feel better, it’s a treat for me.”
It’s a treat for Stahl, too.
“After spending an evening here, after serving people in the Mentone, walking up the hill, I felt lighter than air. I felt younger than spring,” Stahl said.
The goal of Dinner with Grace is to bring a diverse group of people together to discover common humanity.
“We all deserve the basics of life, and a little jam on top,” Stahl said.
