Grace Cathedral program provides holiday meals for San Francisco residents in need
For nearly two decades, the outreach program Dinner with Grace has addressed food insecurity and build 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 workspace and it's wonderful," lead volunteer Nicole Stahl said as she showed off the kitchen. The group thinks up recipes that they hope will bring joy to the people who eat it.
"Our menu tonight is this really fantastic cheesy ziti pasta bake," said Stahl. "Everybody loves it."
There was also garlic bread, salad, and a raspberry crumble for dessert.
"These are people transitioning out of homelessness. They deserve every bit of support that we could possibly give them," said Stahl.
Stahl has been volunteering at Dinner with Grace for almost 15 years. She lives walking distance from the cathedral and sees all the people who are in need of a hot meal.
"I never thought in my life that there were people who could possibly be my neighbors who would go to sleep hungry or who wouldn't have a place to sleep," said Stahl. "But that's our reality."
The group of volunteers make about 2,000 meals a year. This batch will be going 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. Over the more than a decade she has been volunteering, she has built a relationship with some of the residents.
Many of the people will live at these sites for years, but the holidays can still get 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," said Thornton. "So having someone come out here and feed us for the holidays, it's almost like a family thing now. So I feel better, it's a treat for me."
It's also a treat for Stahl.
"After spending an evening here, after serving people at the Mentone, as I was walking up the hill, I felt lighter than air. I felt younger than springtime," said Stahl.
The goal of Dinner with Grace is to bring a diverse group of people together to discover common humanity.
"We all deserve the basics in life, and a little jam on top of it," said Stahl.
