The Lynn My Brother’s Table soup kitchen will soon undergo major renovations.
Dianne Kuzia Hills, executive director of My Brother’s Table, said that the renovations will help them better serve the community because the soup kitchen has shifted to more take-out meals in recent years.
“Before the pandemic, it was like a cafeteria,” Hills said. “There were tables and chairs. We could seat about 120 people. People would come in and get their tray, just like a cafeteria line.”
They would eat at large tables that sat eight to 10 people.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, My Brother’s Table switched to only take-out meals.
As a result, they went from serving 200,000 meals a year to between 900,000 and a million meals a year.
The dining room became a production area where to-go meals were put together.
“This used to be a dining room, but because we had to ramp up how much work we’re doing, we actually use the dining room for production now,” Hills said. “The volume is really big.”
The renovations will split the current dining room/production area into separate parts.
One end of the current dining room will be a production and take-out area. The rest will be a dedicated smaller dining room.
“The tables will be tables of four and two,” Hills said. “The recommended health standards are having unrelated households eating at the same table together, which is riskier than having smaller tables with smaller groups.”
The entire room will be gutted. A new ceiling, lighting fixtures, and epoxy flooring will be installed.
“The epoxy flooring will make it easier to clean,” Hills said. “The whole thing will be more energy efficient for us.”
The the renovations will cost approximately $300,000. The organization received a $250,000 grant from Mass General Brigham’s United Against Racism initiative.
“What we’re doing specific to that grant is the food will all be served on color-coded trays,” Hills said. “Food you should eat a lot of will be on green trays. Food you should be more judicious about will be on yellow trays. Food you should not eat a lot of will be on red trays.”
She added that a physician or a provider at the health clinic can say, “When you go to the table, make sure you eat a couple of things off the green trays or steer clear of the red for now.”
The time frame for the renovations is about three months, with work expected to begin in mid-to-late January.
While the work is being done, people will be served their meals at walk-up windows in a temporary trailer parked outside the building at 98 Willow St.
My Brother’s Table serves meals every day of the year to anyone who comes to them for any reason.
Serving hours are 12 – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 2 – 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
