For many years, a few groups and churches have been independently providing meals on Saturdays, or daily to-go lunches, to reach Sheboygan residents who are experiencing homelessness, crisis, transition, and poverty. In recent months, Sheboygan County Food Bank has been leading discussions and planning meetings made up of representatives from houses of faith, nonprofit charities, and governmental agencies throughout Sheboygan County with the goal of working together as a community to establish a larger-scale, consistent meal service. Besides the free meal, one of the other goals of this new service is to provide information and resources to help improve the quality of life of residents. This collaborative outreach will became a reality when the Community Cafe opens on May 2.
How will the collaboration work? Hosted by our partners at St. Luke Methodist Church, the Community Cafe will be open six days a week and offer free coffee and meals, hospitality, resources, Wi-Fi, and other information about local services. Sheboygan County Food Bank will provide food ingredients and funding for operations to run smoothly, including a Cafe Coordinator. Volunteers from the community will cook and serve meals. On Wednesdays, representatives from organizations will be invited to attend and share community resources.
Meals will be available Monday through Saturday from 11:30 AM to 1 PM at St. Luke’s location, 623 Ontario Ave. in Sheboygan. A central part of the mission of the Community Cafe is that everyone is welcome without judgement or discrimination.
If you’re interested in volunteering to help serve meals, sign up here.
