About

The Kitchen Table, Incorporated, began as a dream of Carolyn Brown of Ashton, Illinois. She and her husband, Grant, had fed many people in need in their home over the years, even taking some of them in to stay. Carolyn saw the need. Grant did as well. Together the two of them spent some $80,000 of their own money and donations from others over a span of three years from 2013 to 2016 to bring Carolyn's dream to reality. Today, the Kitchen Table, Incorporated, is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to serving nutritious meals to people in the Rochelle, Illinois, area regardless of their ability to pay.

Carolyn also attended workshops put on by the the One World Everybody Eats Organization (OneWorldEverybodyEats.org ) to learn how a community cafe is organized and operated. One of her most remarkable God-given skills is often seen in her ability to both network and rally people around her cause. So many "strangers" have become "friends" of the Browns and the Kitchen Table over a sense they just need to help others.

The Kitchen Table began serving meals to the community June 30th of 2016. Everybody in the community is welcome to dine at the Kitchen Table as it is a "community cafe", not a "soup kitchen". Community cafe's work by people having money helping to pay for those who don't. Also, those who do not have money to pay for a meal can be fed at the Kitchen Table and then give back by donating their time and talents to help the cause.

Donations and support from many local businesses, professionals, and volunteers have made the Kitchen Table possible. In time, the hope is that increased community involvement will expand the Kitchen Table and increase the number of people who can be served. Community participation will make that happen, whether by volunteering time and talents, making donations, word-of-mouth promotion, or bringing the hungry to eat at the Kitchen Table.

The Kitchen Table's Board of Directors