Community Dinner Table Inc.
The nature of Bingham County and the economic turmoil we are facing have provided a “perfect storm” of need. Our calling is to ride out that storm by offering a hot meal every Tuesday night at Jason Lee Memorial United Methodist Church (JLMUMC). We are an organization comprised of 22 different faith and “friend” organizations in Bingham County. The goal of CDT is to feed individuals and families who are having problems putting food on their tables. The “faith teamwork” is truly a wonderful residual outcome that benefits the community.
Since its inception in 2008, the Community Dinner Table, Inc. (CDT) has, through God’s grace, become a force for stewardship in Bingham County. Our mission is “to reduce hunger in Bingham County.” CDT is a a 501(c)3 organization.
During our first Nine years of Operation
- Our Community Garden provided a way for those who have been receiving meals to grow their own food – completing the stewardship circle.
- The Food Pantry served an average of 7,550 lbs. of food to 150 families each month.
- Christmas Baskets fed nearly 350 families each Christmas season – a total of another 2,800 meals each year.
- We served more than 60,000 meals
And these numbers have only increased as we’ve continued with our mission to serve the hungry here in our own back yard.
Combined Service Hours
Community Pantry
4,500 HoursPer Year
Weekly Dinners
2,200 HoursPer Year
Christmas Boxes
500 HoursPer Year
July Picnic
115 HoursPer Year
Tator Trot
50 HoursPer Year
Day of the Corn
200 HoursPer Year
Community Garden
110 HoursPer Year
Community Dinner Table, Inc. (CDT) is a non-profit organization comprised of faith groups and friends working together to reduce hunger in Bingham County. CDT’s more encompassing mission includes:
1. Reducing hunger in Bingham County by providing wholesome food to those in need through the CDT fall dinner program and through food distribution programs like the Blackfoot Community Pantry (BCP) project;
2. Developing and implementing solutions to the underlying causes of hunger through collaboration, education and advocacy through such activities as the Blackfoot Community Garden (BCG) project;
3. Creating an environment for older residents in need of social interaction by making safe and wholesome dinner environments available to the aged; and,
4. Promoting creative and productive teamwork between all faith groups in the County to increase the availability of resources and to build stronger and more meaningful inter-faith relationships.
President’s Message
Hi, my name is Jackie Young and I am the newly elected President of the CDT board. I became involved with CDT in the same way that many others have become involved, by serving as a volunteer at one of the Tuesday evening dinners. I enjoyed that experience and later went on to serve as a kitchen leader. Helping to organize and prepare two of the dinners per season. After doing that for a while, I was approached to serve on the board of directors when a position became available. I was excited and happy to give it a try; I had no idea what I was in for!
CDT’s board of directors is made up of caring, hard working and talented people. I am blessed just to know them, let alone having the opportunity to work with them. I am continually amazed by the dedication and hours of hard work donated by these fine people. I have much to learn.
Since its beginnings in 2008, CDT has been working to help feed the hungry, educate and raise hunger awareness, provide a safe place for people to meet and socialize, provide service opportunities, and bring our community closer together. We have created a way for people of different faiths to come together to do the Lord’s work. And we have done it without any Federal assistance or paid employees!
CDT has reached out to the people of Bingham County and they have generously given their assistance. We have received countless volunteer hours, both at the dinners and at the pantry. We have received monetary and food donations from both businesses and individuals. This community is outstanding in its generosity!
As we look into the future, we at the CDT will work to make this mission sustainable. We, unfortunately, don’t expect the need for food distribution and help to diminish any time soon. As Christ said, “ye have the poor with you always” and it is our desire to do as he commanded and “feed His sheep”.
We want to recognize all those who have helped us in the past and want to encourage you to continue to help us by making either a monetary or food donation.
Thank you in advance,
Jackie Young
President, CDT Board of Directors
Unexpected Consequences
This is about doing good and its unintended and unexpected consequences. On a recent Tuesday evening I was sitting at a Community Dinner Table weekly dinner. I had been there before, serving in different capacities. Looking around the Fellowship Hall at Jason Lee Memorial Methodist Church, I watched as at least two extremely important things were taking place. First, anyone who was hungry for food or companionship had a warm meal and warm hearts to share it with. Second, people who were serving together, enjoying one another’s company, probably would not have been doing this ten years ago. CDT didn’t exist then.
I moved here in 1981 and became involved in community efforts to pass bonds for the benefit of school repair and additions. The last one was to add on to Blackfoot High School. There have been other issues I’ve been involved with as well. To obtain support for these causes I was surprised and concerned that planning sessions had to account for community differences and divisions that had nothing to do with the decisions to be made for the common good. There were walls that existed between neighborhoods, religions, ethnicities, political affiliation…the existence of these walls wasn’t a jaw dropper, but the assumption made that there was no way to reach over, around or through these differences was just that. There was little common ground. When the Snake River overflowed, flooding businesses and homes, we came together as a community. The walls were temporarily taken down. I met good people filling and placing sandbags I had not known. The fellowship I felt with them encouraged me. But it didn’t last. When the flood waters evaporated so did most of the benefits of coming together.
In contrast, The Community Dinner Table has brought the community together powerfully and with more staying power than did the floods. The goal of CDT was to feed people. The unintended consequence was to unify our community to do something good, and to do it for the right reasons. It has brought people together who hadn’t worked cooperatively before. There was a need and it was filled. Simple as that. It’s scarcity that will always be with us. My personal involvement with CDT started as way to help hungry and lonely people. I received much more in return than I gave. What I’ve gained in respect and understanding for different faith groups, businesses, and individuals is of real value. Based on past experiences, I didn’t expect to make lasting new friends, but I did. It was all unintended. So, my thanks to those who had the vision and tenacity to bring us together. You have made a big difference. Thank you, Community Dinner Table!