The Downtown Welcome Table
The Downtown Welcome Table rests on the assumption that food is a primary means of grace, a way to love and connect. It is a homemade meal served on abundant plates by an attentive wait staff. Folks are invited to linger over the meal as in a nice restaurant or dinner at home.
Cloth napkins, flowers on the table, and china plates send the message “you deserve the very best” and are meant to counter the notion often held by those living on the streets that handouts, hand-me-downs and leftovers are all I deserve.
Never intending to be a soup kitchen or feeding line, we want our meal to be a crossroads of diverse community, a gathering of disparate folks, a fork and spoon invitation to prince and pauper alike.
People who might not otherwise come to know each other develop a friendship over a shared meal.
Lunch is served continuously on Wednesdays from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm and breakfast on Sundays from 8:30 am to 10:30 am.
Come on down to the dining room when you arrive and the host will direct you to an empty seat.
If you are bringing a group, please contact us in advance so we can be sure to prepare enough food: Katlyn@haywoodstreet.org or 828-575-2477, ext. 106.
To volunteer with the Downtown Welcome Table, the first step is to attend a companion orientation.
Chefs @ Downtown Welcome Table is a creative partnership between local chefs and restaurateurs and the Downtown Welcome Table, based on the belief that one of the best ways to love people is through food.
We are extremely grateful to the more than 40 local restaurants that participate with this program.
“In the restaurant industry…..we get what it means to be hungry, possibly literally at one time or another, and always figuratively for friends/family and someone to share a meal with. That’s our religion, and it’s why we are happy to partner with Welcome Table.” — Liz Button, Katie Button Restaurants
