Grace Cathedral

Grace Cathedral

Community Outreach

Dinner with Grace

Get Involved

Welcome to our Dinner with Grace ministry cooking-and-serving relaunch!

Dinner with Grace builds community, engenders empathy, and combats loneliness. Our mission is simple yet transformative: bringing diverse people together to discover our common humanity while feeding hungry bodies and souls.

Dinner with Grace Ministry

We are a collaborative ministry involving Grace Cathedral, Episcopal Community Services, and the formerly unhoused. Through the preparation and sharing of a healthy meal, Dinner with Grace fosters relationships and eases isolation for individuals transitioning out of homelessness and our volunteers alike.

Twice a month, we gather to cook at the cathedral and alternate serving a tasty mid-afternoon meal the following day either at the Mentone Hotel at 387 Ellis St or the Crosby Hotel at 516 O’Farrell St. Both SROs are in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco within a mile of the cathedral. Please be aware that we are asking all volunteers to be vaccinated and to wear masks. This is especially critical at the Mentone and Crosby where some residents are more vulnerable. We thank you for your understanding.

How to Get Involved

Dinner with Grace is especially looking to fill three key volunteer positions on a rotational basis: lead chef, reheater, and driver. The primary duties of the lead chef include menu planning, recipe scale-up, and direction of the Tuesday night cooking crew. Some prior kitchen experience is necessary. We have shopping lists and example recipes to share, plus support from previous volunteers in the role. The reheater heats food in our ovens, and the driver (a car is necessary) delivers the hot food to the hotel on Wednesday afternoon. If you’re interested in any of these roles, or if you have other questions about our ministry, please email [email protected].

Newcomers are always welcome to join us in our supportive and fun environment! We invite you to sign up to volunteer with us below. Please contact us if you have any questions.

How We Served Our Community During COVID

While Covid restrictions prevented us from gathering to cook, serve, and visit with our friends, the residents of the Mentone and Crosby hotels, we have been able to provide them with tangible reminders of our concern and support. We have coordinated with local companies and small businesses, when possible, to prepare and deliver individually plated warm meals to each SRO on a modified schedule.

This included providing tasty meals through the local business La Cocina whose mission includes empowering women and low-income entrepreneurs by providing resources and mentorship to help grow their businesses. We were honored to support their mission of business equity in place of volunteer-prepared meals.