Brooklyn’s Community Dinner Looking to Expand

One Sunday afternoon each month, the Brooklyn Meetinghouse fills with the smell of home-cooked food, the sound of pleasant conversation, and quiet joy as members of the Downtown Brooklyn community sit down to enjoy each other and a hot meal.

This is the work of the Community Dinner Committee (CD), a volunteer led initiative that launched in 1987. It typically serves unhoused people a fresh meal, gives them their pick of donated clothing, and sends them out its doors with non-perishable goods and produce.

In order for these dinners to run smoothly, committee members channel their skill sets into tasks like managing budgets, shopping lists, or cooking the food on the day of. The committee of 13, including adhoc members,  manages roughly 30 additional volunteers each month to help serve a meal to around 80 people. Although primarily from the Meeting, many from the neighborhood routinely come to volunteer. A special example of this dedicated volunteer base are the holiday dinners, in which volunteers bring cooked turkeys, hams, pies, and other items.

In the past year, about 70 young student groups from across the city have frequented dinners to help out. This winter, Friends Seminary and Mary McDowell have hosted toiletry and coat drives for CD’s benefit. On top of allowing CD to offer more to its guests, like a fixed coat rack, these opportunities have engaged students from lower to upper school and taught them about the values of service, community, and stewardship.

A recent high-school volunteer, Atticus Hsia, recently remarked, “Community Dinner was a unique experience. My favorite part was interacting with community members whom I never would have met.” What makes CD so special is the relationship between the guests and volunteers. Volunteers are encouraged to sit down with, talk to, and get to know guests at their tables. As a result, community and trust are built, and dinners are filled with smiles as regular guests and volunteers see each other again.

Recently, the CD organized a kitchen organizing party in which members and committees of Brooklyn Monthly Meeting gathered to take inventory of kitchen items and commit to ensure the space is taken care of in the future. As a result of this and the CD’s goal of shifting to a more environmentally friendly model, Friends agreed to and ordered reusable cutlery, plates, and cups.

With the changing political landscape in mind, the CD has started the process of a multi-step expansion of its services. This will include more frequent meals and a more robust Food Pantry. Communication with local organizations has begun, and the hope is that weekly meals can be served in the first quarter of 2026.

Anyone interested in supporting this effort in any way, or who believes they can help the CD with its expansion is encouraged to reach out to the clerks for information: Michelle Dodson at michellepdodson@gmail.com and August Guy at august.magiera.guy@gmail.com 

— August Guy