Decorah Community Meal

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Every first Thursday of the month, the doors of the Decorah Lutheran Church Social Hall open from 5 to 6:15 pm for a free community meal.

Friends, families, and neighbors fill the hall with conversation and laughter. After a moment of silence to reflect on gratitude, tables are sent to load up their plates. A buffet table offers pans of hot, nutritious main dishes, like fragrant rice and Moroccan chicken stew. Whole wheat bread sticks are next, followed by the many types of salads – greens, fruit, and pasta. Finally, slices of homemade cheesecake and pie line the dessert table, served with freshly brewed decaf coffee and milk. 

While this monthly meal is hosted by a church, and it’s coordinated by members of eight churches, there are no religious strings attached – a founding principle of this grassroots effort. The Decorah Community Meal offers an unconditional welcome to all, especially to anyone who feels alone, anyone who longs for more connection.

“There are a lot of people who need a free meal, and many other people who just enjoy being with people,” says Gail Judisch, a regular Community Meal dish washer. “It’s a healing experience for people.” 

“Our small group of founding members in Decorah were very set on creating a place and an atmosphere where it would truly be a community gathering spot rather than a soup kitchen with the associated stigma,” says Lor Miller, who chaired the meal’s coordinating committee in its early years.

The Decorah Community Meal started in February 2012, and by now just about the entire town has collaborated on it: restaurants, realties, banks, Luther College teams and choirs, high school and college student organizations, local non-profits, medical businesses and clinics, civic organizations, downtown retailers, the fire department, the police, the sheriff’s office, musical groups – and the list keeps going. It was hosted for years by First Lutheran Church. Then it was hosted by the United Methodist Church as well as St. Benedict’s Catholic before it found a new home at Decorah Lutheran.

Many people have contributed food to this effort over the years, but two food services stand out: the former McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita restaurant and Luther College’s food service provider – formerly Sodexo and currently Bon Appétit Management Company.

“I can remember Otter [Dreaming] and I and a few others discussing whether or not we thought we could manage taking turns preparing the food ourselves when we first started,” Lor says. She was raised in a family of 22 people and thrived making meals for large crowds.

“Thanks to the amazing generosity of the late Jim McCaffrey, who at the time owned and managed McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita, we didn’t have to cover the main course,” Lor continues. “Apparently Jim had always wanted to do something like this, and he was happy for the opportunity to provide the main for 100 people.”

Sodexo came on board a few months later, when the coordinating committee decided to increase the meal frequency to twice per month. Jim McCaffrey passed away in 2019, and McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita closed in 2020.

In the post-pandemic era, the meal has returned back to a rhythm of once per month. Luther College’s Sodexo picked up its support again, now continued by Luther’s new food services provider, Bon Appétit.

“I learned of the Decorah Community Meal after arriving on campus, and think it’s a great example of how this wonderful community comes together,” said Nic Supercynski, the general manager of Bon Appétit at the college. “Luther’s sponsorship makes the meal possible, and my team and I are thrilled to help bring it to life each month.”

Luther provides the main course and bread, and volunteers or local restaurants provide the 14 salads and 12 desserts needed to feed 200 people. The volunteers also help the coordinating committee (about 15 people) run the meal – bussing and cleaning dishes, wiping tables, keeping the drinks and dessert tables supplied, and helping patrons who are not able to serve themselves at the buffet.

Dave Judisch, who has been on the committee from the very beginning, says that finding volunteers to serve the meal isn’t difficult. “We just call them,” he says. “Or, I’m walking down the street, and someone will say, ‘I want to volunteer.’”

In recent months, the meals have fed 150–200 people each time; attendance has gone as high as 238 in the past year. The meal is advertised through flyers hung in Decorah at the Depot Outlet and the Public Library and tucked into the grocery bags of people who pick up food at the Decorah Food Pantry. Immigrants receive WhatsApp notifications about it, and people with disabilities living in group homes are invited. The real delight for them, besides delicious free food, is that they meet everyone there, including people they rarely socialize with.

Many people note how important the meal is to the elderly and people with disabilities. They are often on limited incomes and sometimes can’t afford sufficient food, not to mention eating out. Others might have the finances, but they still long for connection.

“The Community Meal started after my husband died, and I was eating alone all the time,” says Sharon Rossman. “This was a place to go to eat with other people. I come every time I’m free. It is nice when you’re a widow.”

“We also encourage those who are not handicapped or seniors or who don’t need a meal to attend,” says Dave. “Those who are in group homes especially enjoy a chance to interact with people who are outside of their day-to-day lives.” Consequently, the meal draws a large cross section of the community: faculty and farmers, barbers and businesspeople, clerks and clergy.

This assortment of people has been Lor’s favorite part. “Everyone has talent, warmth, and stories to share, and it broadens the mind to interact and enjoy the company of a group of folks with diverse backgrounds and means. It is in this way that we recognize and appreciate our common humanity and the inherent beauty of every single individual,” she says.

The meal is free, but for anyone who is able to contribute, there is a free will donation box. Over the years, it has taken in much more money than the coordinating committee needs for its expenses of buying milk and coffee and paying for church facilities upkeep. This has opened opportunities to fund other needs in the community. 

For example, they used some funds to start Food for Families, which pays for the purchase and delivery of tasty, cost-effective food staples (rice, beans, and corn flour) to local immigrant families experiencing food insecurity. Food for Families is largely run by Kathi Mitchell, a teacher who has a strong bent toward feeding others. She has prepared a vegetarian gluten-free side dish for each and every Community Meal since she got involved in July 2012.

“The Decorah community works together better than anywhere else,” Kathi says. 

“The fact that somehow, our community has managed to succeed in creating this opportunity and getting folks to come is such an absolute delight,” Lor says. “It became what we had dreamed of – a place to come in out of the rain, feel upheld by the community, enjoy the company of both familiar and new faces, and enjoy a good meal, whether that was a rare treat for you or an everyday affair. And the best part is, it’s still happening!”

Laura Barlament

Laura Barlament lives in Decorah, Iowa, where she works at Luther College.

Get Involved! 

The Decorah Community Meal seeks volunteers to be a part of the coordinating committee as well as groups who would like to sponsor a meal. Contact Dave Judisch at judiscda@luther.edu or 563-380-7707. And learn more about how to donate to Food for Families at decorahucc.org/neighbors