Dinner for a Dollar served its first Friday evening meal in the undercroft of Grace and St Peter’s Church, Hamden (now Grace and St Peter’s/St John the Evangelist) eleven and a half years ago. That was a trial run with only a few parishioners in attendance. Since then, our ministry has grown exponentially. Committed to serving a hot, healthy, hearty, homestyle meal in a welcoming dining room setting — complete with real tableware (and now with a take out option) — and just as committed to building community — feeding souls as well as bodies — Dinner for a Dollar Friday Night currently serves as many as 100 meals every week.
And that’s just Friday night. Two weeks before covid closed pretty much everything, Dinner for a Dollar started a second meal on Saturday evening at Hamden Plains United Methodist Church about two miles down the street from Grace and St Peter’s. In spite of the pandemic that could have easily squelched such a fledgling ministry, Dinner for a Dollar Saturday Night did not miss a meal and now serves 50 to 60 dinners every week.
And now there’s a Food Truck, too! This past summer, Dinner for a Dollar purchased and launched a Food Truck thanks to the generosity and support of ECCT and its parishes, United Way of Greater New Haven, the Hamden Rotary Club, and any number of other local organizations and individuals. The Food Truck allows us to literally bring dinner to the people who need it. Plus, it’s just plain fun. At present, we have one Food Truck location on State Street in Hamden every Sunday afternoon where we serve 80 to 100 meals a week. Combined with our other two locations, that’s about 250 meals served every week. And, as we build our volunteer base, we plan to expand our Food Truck ministry to the remaining four days of the week. Perhaps 600 to 700 meals per week would be a good goal to aim for…why not 1000?!
Thank you all for your support of Dinner for a Dollar. We hope you enjoy your meal!
Allison Batson, Dinner for a Dollar Founder and Director
Bob Bergner, Rector, Grace and St Peter’s/St John the Evangelist