Shepherd’s Table Provides More Than a Full Belly

The meals at Shepherd's Table come with a little more than just nutrition.

The soup kitchen, the only facility in the Silver Spring area that provides a dinner meal for the needy, also provides a "home away from home," as one client likes to call it.

"We have not missed a meal in nearly 27 years," said Jacki Coyle, Shepherd's Table's executive director, even during the snowstorms earlier this year. That record of service is possible "because of some incredible volunteers and staff who are committed to what we do."

The 14-person permanent staff — seven of whom are part-time — oversees operation of the kitchen and other services, and volunteers help serve the 90 to 200 dinner meals that are consumed daily, Coyle said. Each year, the kitchen sees about 1,200 volunteers.

The facility was started in 1983 by a group of agencies in Silver Spring whose members saw there was a need to provide services to people without homes. The religious community answered the call, and each took responsibility for providing the dinner meal one night per month. Many of the original supporters are still helping today.

Funding for its work comes from a variety of sources, including the government, religious organizations, foundations and businesses. The largest share — 40 percent — comes from individual donations. The challenge right now is to stay ahead in terms of donations, because of the economic downturn.

"Businesses are down and that hurts us," Coyle said.

In response to the economic situation, Shepherd's Table is now seeking other types of support from the business community, such as in-kind gifts.

The menu for Shepherd's Table is the responsibility of Thierry Musel, the kitchen manager, and Shirley Okuribido, the kitchen assistant. Both of them were homeless and had turned to the kitchen for help before coming to work there. Musel has been with Shepherd's Table for 12 years, and Okuribido, almost three years.

The menu depends on food donations, but in most cases they know what is being donated ahead of time and can plan accordingly, Musel said. For example, Kentucky Fried Chicken makes donations twice a week, which means the kitchen receives mashed potatoes — and that provides clients with starch. In addition, fresh vegetables such as corn, green beans, lettuce and tomatoes are donated by the farmers market every weekend.

The randomness of each day led Okuribido to create two original recipes. They do not have names, but one is a chicken dish and the other is salmon mixed with milk and onions.

"That's what we do most of the time, mixing together and trying to be creative with what we have," she said.

The kitchen is also aware that dinner guests may have conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or any number of ailments. So they work to produce meals that are nutritious and healthy.

Shepherd's Table also provides services to its homeless clients that help provide for their basic needs, and beyond. That includes showers, washing machines and a "clothes closet," which provides free, serviceable clothing. The kitchen's resource center also provides a mailing address that the homeless can use. It receives about 2,000 pieces of client mail per month.

"We also give them bus fare to get to the shelters," said John Eckenrode, director of social services. "We provide them with toiletries, prescriptions and help them file for other benefits."

The major challenge facing Shepherd's Table is the lack of shelter space in Montgomery County, both Coyle and Eckenrode said. Shelter space has increased in the last 20 years, Eckenrode said, but people can be found sleeping on the sidewalks on any given night in the summer; and the shelters are full in the winter.

Coyle said she will try to help the shelter in Rockviile get more funding, as it is unable to run at full-capacity year round right now. But she also said there is a need for a shelter in Silver Spring.

"I'm not sure the neighborhoods would like to hear that," Coyle said, "but there's a need for providing people with a place to sleep that's not outside."

The homeless in Silver Spring tend to regard the area around Shepherd's Table as home, Coyle said. They do not consider themselves as District of Columbia homeless, but as Silver Spring homeless, she added, and some homeless clients echoed that opinion.

Clark Riche says Shepherd's Table is "my home away from home." That is because the people who work in this program make it "easy to ask for what you need. They talk to you like you're a human," he said, adding his favorite dish is macaroni and cheese.

Vanessa Daniels has been a dinner guest at Shepherd's Table for about 10 years. She said the people who run the program "treat you with kindness," and they make it "so it's like home."