From the Social Action Council                                                         

Dorothy Day Hospitality House                                                                                                  by Lynn Taborsak                                       

On the first Saturday of each month, our congregation provides a hot meal and sandwich bags for local Danbury residents at the Dorothy Day Hospitality House on Spring Street. It is a commitment we have kept for more than 40 years. Here is some basic information for both new and returning volunteers. The Soup Kitchen is located at 11 Spring Street in Danbury. The phone number is 203-743-7988. On our designated day, volunteers arrive at 1:30 pm to help prepare a hot meal and sandwich bags to distribute at the door. We open at 3:00 and serve 70 to 140 hot meals and sandwich bags that people take home to enjoy that evening. In addition, one or two volunteers supervise 20 to 30 guests who enjoy their meal in the former shelter behind the kitchen. We all stay to clean up when the kitchen closes at 4:30 pm. 

The rules at Dorothy Day are very simple. All people are welcome, if sober and polite. With no paid staff, the soup kitchen opens each day to serve people in need a hot meal. Your main responsibility is to help your team leader prepare a hot cooked meal and serve it to the guests who come that day, and, finally, clean up afterwards.  It is hard work, but very rewarding.

This is an important commitment for our congregation. The guests at Dorothy Day depend on us for this meal every month. Parking is limited to a small paved lot on the opposite side of the street. If we all have compact cars, we can fit six quite well. However, volunteers are welcome to park their vehicles at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at 44 Spring Street and walk down to the kitchen if they prefer.

For other ways that our congregation can support Dorothy Day Hospitality House, click here.

· Sign up for a Soup Kitchen Team on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall

· Bring your food donations to the UUCD every Sunday 

· Sign up to take our food donations to the kitchen twice a month in the foyer

· Donate a gift card in any amount from any local supermarket

· Sign up to make sandwiches, cookies or brownies at ddhhsandwiches@gmail.com

· Deliver bread and baked goods from Stop & Shop to the kitchen on Thursday morning

· Organize a toiletry drive for soap, razors, shampoo, conditioner, lotion and combs

We can all be an important part of the fight to end hunger in our community!