‘Weekly supper for the hungry’

August 14, 2015
Tom Burke

Gleeful might best describe sentiment at Table of Plenty for the work the ministry does as well as recent developments that brought the group official nonprofit charitable corporation status in June. Table of Plenty is a ministry of Our Lady of the Pillar Parish, and has been preparing and serving first-class meals to the hungry since 2013. Notre Dame Sister Jeanette Braun, a religious for 58 years and at the helm since the first meal was served is Table of Plenty director.

Thursdays at 6 p.m. Table of Plenty welcomes more than 100 people, children included, to the new hall at OLPH. The group’s all-volunteer servers aged 15 to older-than-80 “serve each guest a delicious, warm meal with all the trimmings,” Sister Jeanette said. Volunteers arrive hours before “to transform religious education classrooms into a beautiful dining room with music, flowers, linen table cloths and flatware.” Sister Jeanette quoted a recent guest: “I love to come here. The food is always wonderful. You can feel the love in this room.”

Sister Jeanette noted that “one in four individuals is at risk of hunger on the coast” and that each seating, including special events each Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, costs but $2.80 per person. Funding comes from individual donations and an annual wine tasting. Partners in the effort have included Knights of Columbus, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Kelly Street Catholic Worker, K&L Wine Merchants, as well as other faith groups and good hearts too many to name here.

Volunteer Don Wright is Table of Plenty’s official baker. Don’s freshly baked pies, cakes, pineapple upside down cake and dinner rolls are a hit every Thursday with diners. “Our guests can hardly wait to hear what he has for them each week!” said Debbe Kennedy, media coordinator for the group. Just recently Don was honored with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award, signed by President Barack Obama, for his lifetime commitment to building a better nation through volunteer service. Don has been an Our Lady of the Pillar parishioner for 40 years. For information on joining or donating: tableofplenty.olp@gmail.com ; http://topdonation.eventbrite.com; http://ourladyofthepillar.org/tableofplentyvolunteers; (650) 483-9037.

SHEPHERD SPEAKS: Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone is keynote speaker and principal celebrant of the closing Mass for a two-day conference on Natural Family Planning Aug. 21-22 at St. Mary’s Cathedral. “Male and Female He Created Them,” welcomes many national NFP voices to the microphone and Fiorella Nash of the U.K. will address the topic at the event banquet. Tickets for the weekend’s entire schedule as well as tickets for smaller parts of the conference are available; www.canfp.org; info@canfp.org; (877) 33-CANFP.

UNPLUGGED: Hats off to St. Peter Parish, Pacifica, on their success with e-waste campaigns over the last four years, most recently July 11. “We have probably taken in about 12 tons of e-waste and kept them from getting into the landfill,” parishioner Vivian Queirolo told me in a note to this column. “It always amazes us how much is brought in each year. We’ve lost count of how many humongous TVs, laptops, printers, vacuum cleaners and such are dropped off.” The pope’s latest encyclical is not far behind this comment by an unnamed parishioner: “It feels really good to do a little good deed for our precious planet.” Doing the hauling for St. Pete’s was a group named Green Mouse.

NEW CHIEF: With the new school year soon under our feet, St. John Ursuline alumnae have welcomed new prez Theresa Keane and remain grateful to Valerie McGrew who held the post for 26 years. “Even though our beloved school is closed, we maintain a very active association,” Theresa told me in a note to this column. The school honors 1966 graduates at its upcoming all-school reunion. “If any ‘66 grads could contact Marge Silva at ricsil@prodigy.net or myself at theresakeane@gmail.com,” Theresa said. “For me, I still live in St. John’s just down the street from our grammar school. I did 12 years at St. John’s and sent both my children, now adults, to the grammar school.” 

20/20: We’re watching our bucks at the chancery. When I asked for a new browser management said they’d just put glasses on the old one.

Email items and electronic pictures – jpegs at no less than 300 dpi to burket@sfarchdiocese.org or mail to Street, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco 94109. Include a follow-up phone number. Street is toll-free. My phone number is (415) 614-5634.