Common Table

Goal: $20,000.00

Specific Need

Moving into the Lincoln Education Center at 901 Poyntz is an exciting next chapter for Common Table. We expect to be able to serve even more dinners on a nightly basis.

Because the single site will be operated by Common Table itself, we will need kitchen equipment and some kitchen utilities updates:

• 6-Burner gas range
• Hot holding cabinets
• Reach-in coolers
• Reach-in freezers
• 20qt Hobart mixer
• Ice machine
• Washer and dryer
• Updates to plumbing and electrical systems

Mission

Food is life. No person should go hungry, especially in a community nestled in the heart of our nation's bread basket. 

Common Table will be moving to a single location --the Lincoln Education Center-- in the fall of 2024. We are excited for this next endeavor, as we expect to be able to serve even more people, given that dinner will be at one consistent location and time.

If people are fed and if people have access to community, they are in a better position to be lifted. And as the saying goes: A rising tide lifts all boats.

Profile

Common Table grew out of the findings of the very first Everybody Counts event in 2014, which aimed to discover the number of homeless persons in Manhattan. Their survey found that food insecurity was a top issue facing those living in poverty and those who are homeless. After learning this, several members of that planning board convened to brainstorm solutions and created the idea of Common Table.

Currently, Common Table is a collaboration of churches that offer a free community meal in the downtown district. Our purpose is to have consistency by sharing best practices, concerns, and insights to improve our offerings and expand our capacity. At the start, we served three dinners a week and in less than four years, we grew to be able to serve dinner every single evening. We also offer several breakfasts and sack lunches throughout the week. 

We partner with Flint Hills Food Recovery which provides hundreds of pounds of food, picked up by volunteers and delivered to the participating churches to serve at their community meals. 

We are a 501(c)(3) organization, allowing us to qualify for grants and other donations. This will further our mission of feeding the hungry and bringing the community together.

The bottom line is that no one should be hungry. Common Table invites everyone to join us for a hot meal in peace and with dignity.