15
Years on Alder Street
Same corner, same front door, same Thursday dinner since 2009.
Your seat is already saved.
Come to Thursday dinner once. That's all we ask. You'll know what to do after that.
Our story
A neighborhood that shows up.
What started as one church kitchen on Alder Street now feeds 3,000 families a year.
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Forms to fill out
Your first visit is no questions asked. After that, it's just your household size.
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Rule at the table
Everyone eats. Guests, volunteers, staff, and the mayor, when she shows up.
Our story
Fifteen years on the same corner.
It started with one slow cooker in a church basement. Here's how it grew.
The first dinner
2009
Eleven people, one pot of chili, two folding tables.
The pantry opens
2014
Groceries five days a week in the old church hall.
No more forms
2017
We drop the intake paperwork. Visits rise 40%.
Three locations
2026
Eastgate and Riverside join Alder Street.
Our team
The people who set the table.
Four staff, 340 volunteers, and one very old industrial oven.
Marcus Reed
Executive director
Grace Lin
Pantry manager
Tom Hadley
Garden lead
Sofía Ramos
Volunteer coordinator
Partners
The businesses and congregations behind every meal.
Want your team on this wall? Partners fund a month of dinners or send a Saturday crew.
Partner stories
“Our staff asks to go back. That never happens with a sponsorship. Common Table shows us exactly where every dollar goes.”
Marcus ReedCommunity giving lead“We used to run a can drive. Now our members know the families by name.”
Grace LinOutreach pastor“Their reporting is the clearest we get from any grantee. We renewed for three years.”
Tom HadleyProgram officer“We send our day-old bread every morning. Nothing goes to waste, and it's on the shelf by nine.”
Sofía RamosStore manager