Free Community Dinners

Page updated 22 Mar2024

In the spirit of connection, community, and hospitality, the Presbyterian Church in Burlington invites our neighbors who live or work in Burlington and nearby towns to join us on the last Wednesday of every month for our free, monthly community dinners.

Scripture emphasizes the importance of Community and Hospitality.

How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!
(Psalm 133:1, NRSV)

Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. (1 Peter 4:9-10, NRSV)

Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:1-2)

Community and hospitality are not just relevant to our spiritual wellbeing, they are crucial for our physical health. The United States Surgeon General released an advisory calling attention to the public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection in our country. Lacking connection can increase the risk for premature death to levels comparable to smoking daily.

Come! — Join us to share food and conversation, and build connections with others in the Burlington community. Meals are free and open to the public; no donation or registration is required. These are not religious or fund-raising events; those of any religious faith, or none, are welcome. Meals are homemade, with vegetarian and gluten-free options. Dinner is served from 5:30–7:00 pm. Please help us spread the word and invite others to join you!

We often invite representatives of Burlington community organizations (e.g., People Helping People, Minuteman Senior Services, the Public Library, Youth & Family Services, etc.) to make a brief presentation during the dinners about their services.

We need volunteers to help with preparing food , hosting, serving, set up, and clean up. Please sign up to volunteer using the button below or on our Home Page; button will be activated after the middle of the month when the menu has been determined. We are grateful for the Burlington United Church of Christ (UCC) who have helped us set up and provided food for this event; members of Saint Malachy Church have also provided food. Anyone in the community is welcome to volunteer.

volunteer

Learn more about our free community dinners in the short 2-minute videos below.

Presbyterian Church Launches FREE Community Dinners

Community Dinners: 1-Year Anniversary

These meals are charitable “pot luck” events and neither the food nor the facilities have been inspected by the state or a local public health department. However, for the protection of our guests we have church volunteers who have been trained and certified by the ServSafe Food Handler program.

Upcoming Dates

Our Free Community Dinners are scheduled for the last Wednesday of the month. Because the last Wednesday in November 2024 is the day before Thanksgiving Day, and the last Wednesday in December is Christmas Day, we will not host a dinner in November, and our final Community Dinner for 2024 will be on December 4th, the first Wednesday in December.