LYNN — Michael Day will share Christmas dinner with friends at My Brother’s Table.
“I’m glad the soup kitchen is here, at least I have a place to eat,” he said. “Without them, I’m not sure what I’d do.”
The 59-year-old city resident lives in a group home. He’ll join his makeshift family of elders, people with disabilities, the unemployed, and the homeless at what’s called the North Shore’s largest soup kitchen.
Opened in 1982, the Willow Street nonprofit never closes. Since its inception, My Brother’s Table has provided more than 3 million hot, free meals and outreach to the needy.
They serve two meals daily on weekdays and dinner on weekends. Last year, the kitchen served 186,000 meals. On Tuesday nights, guests can be seen by a nurse practitioner for health ailments.
On Wednesday, volunteers packed shopping bags filled with a week’s worth of food for two dozen homebound people.
“We don’t ask any questions and we don’t turn anyone away,” said Maria Coccimiglio, the charity’s development manager.
Rona Lischinsky, 64 is one of hundreds of volunteers who give their time to My Brother’s Table. She retired two years ago and said she wanted to do something to make a difference.
“I come every Wednesday to pack food and prepare lunch,” she said “I get to know the people here and have made lots of new friends.”
Velma Brock, 68, a retiree who worked at Sylvania’s light bulb factory in Salem, accompanies the van driver and delivers meals. She has been a volunteer since 2013.
“I enjoy it because I like people and I like getting out and this gives me that opportunity,” she said.
Thomas Bravo, a 69-year-old volunteer and board member, said the nonprofit doesn’t receive any government funding, so all the donations are spent on serving guests.
“I always think of it this way: for the sake of one event, you or I could be in that line,” he said. “I thought it would be nice to give back, but it turns out I get more in return. It’s very rewarding.”
