Welcome to your avondale meal program
Our goal is simple, Protect the justice of eating
Ending hunger requires support from local businesses, community leaders, neighbors and volunteers
Help your community
Your support and contributions will enable us to purchase food and necessary equipment. We depend on these generous donations to fund our meals and connect our community. Thank you
Message from the director
When we opened our doors as Community Dinners almost eight years ago, we thought the best way to embrace the messiness, beauty, and fundamental humanity of our small community was by bringing the well-fed and underfed together to sit and share a meal. The best conversations are shared over food, right? Food can heal and so can connection, so this simple act has become an essential part of our program. Social engagement and good food are vital to mental health and emotional stability, our aim was to bridge that gap to create a more balanced and loving community—because, Isn’t it wonderful to realize that the person you’re sitting across also loves homemade macaroni and cheese and maybe struggles with loneliness and disconnection, just like you do?
When the pandemic hit, we were no longer able to sit together inside for meals, but we committed to supporting the community by expanding our days and hours. In the summer, we held barbecues, played music, hosted dance troupes on our front lawn, started sponsoring a popup pantry held by the Northwest Side Solidarity Network, tested folks for COVID, hosted a dental van, handed out diapers and formula, and so many other things. All of these acts not only sustained our beloved neighbors through a difficult time, but turned us into family.
Our new chef, Matt Miller, came to us from Rick Bayless’s Topoplobampo and Frontera restaurants, and has been working to help others through food relief and mutual aid projects since the dawn of the pandemic. Matt joined Community Dinners in the fall of 2020 to help cook and has been with us since. He also coordinates financial and resource assistance with Avondale Mutual Aid and organizes Bar Sotano's hot meal distribution. He, like us, is committed to food justice and sustainability, and as we move forward we will be working with local farms and businesses to keep money and resources in the community.
Now, looking ahead, we want to expand our support of the community by continuing to do all the things we’ve been doing, and then some. We are participating in restorative justice peace circles and working with local high school interns; by sowing the seeds of radical hospitality early, we will build a stronger, more compassionate future.
Sometimes when I sit still and think during a rare quiet moment, it’s difficult not to become completely overwhelmed with exhaustion, emotion, and gratitude. We’ve only gotten where we are thanks to allies at St. Nicolai, NSSN, Lula Cafe, and so many others. To see different segments of the population come together and look out for one another is the most powerful means I know of to strengthen the fabric of our community. To open our eyes and see people is a step toward change, To reach out with an open heart and yes, even vulnerability, to the stranger is not only okay, it’s necessary.
You can count on us. We are here for you. We love you.
