Time to Build A Bigger Table:
Increasing the Gathering’s Place capacity to respond
After 44 years of serving meals at the grand old house on the corner of 15th and E streets, Community Action’s Gathering Place is actively preparing to move to a larger home at 919 S. 12th Street. In 1982, serving twenty meals was considered a great night at the Gathering Place. “People were lonely, hungry and needed a friend to listen to them,” said Gathering Place Founder Don Tilley, now 91.
The Gathering Place has opened their doors to provide free evening meals to Lincoln neighbors who needed them for four decades. No questions are asked. Guests are welcomed each evening with a simple promise: a warm meal, a safe place to gather, and support without judgement.
Food insecurity continues to affect more Lincoln households. Since 2021, the number of meals served by The Gathering Place has increased by more than 80%. In 2025, the Gathering Place served 55,300 free meals, averaging more than 150 meals a night. As a matter of fact, over the years, over one-million meals have been prepared in a kitchen measuring only 120 square feet – about the size of a food truck.
To put it simply, our original space can no longer keep pace with the need in Lincoln. That’s why Community Action is thrilled to soon move to a larger home within the same neighborhood. The new facility will offer nearly twice the space of the current location.
“With more room to prepare meals and welcome guests, we’ll be able to better meet the rising need while continuing to offer what has always mattered most: a safe, welcoming place to gather around the table,” says Lisa Janssen, Gathering place Administrator.
The need extends beyond dinner. Many guests are also navigating challenges related to housing, food access, benefits, and household finances. The new location will help address both needs at once. With a larger kitchen, expanded dining areas, greater food storage, and private rooms for supportive services such as case management, SNAP outreach, tenant rights assistance, and other services that can help create greater stability, the new location will have the tools needed to serve our neighbors for years to come. The new building is also in close proximity to the F Street Community Center, the Center Terrace development, the new Clinic with a Heart, and the Hub Central Access Point for Young Adults, making the move valuable to the neighborhood.
The Gathering Place has always been shaped by the people who walk through its doors. The program began with a simple approach to hunger relief: welcome people in, serve a meal, and create a place where they feel comfortable returning.
“We estimate that last year, more than 2,700 neighbors visited the Gathering Place for a free, healthy, home-cooked meal. With the new space, we’ll be excited to welcome even more,” says Heather Loughman, Chief Executive Director at Community Action Partnership of Lancaster & Saunders Counties.
The Gathering Place plans to serve its first meal at 919 S. 12th Street in fall 2027. They are looking to raise $2.5 million more to be able to renovate this space to meet community needs. To learn more about this capital project and how you can support, visit Bigger-Table.com or contact Jessie at 402-875-9338 or jhedrick@communtiyactionatwork.org.
