Sharing a meal is one of the best ways to get to know somebody. You come together over plates of food, a glass of wine and conversation, and you leave full, happy and with a new friend in tow.
That’s the hope for local organization Dinners for Humanity, a “community movement” that works to break down stereotypes associated with homelessness by hosting dinners for volunteers and homeless Chicagoans.
“By sharing a meal and a conversation with people who feel invisible and ignored, we show them they matter and they are worth our time,” wrote Mehdi Lazrak, Dinners for Humanity’s founder, in an email. “This gift is so important because it makes people feel loved and people function better when they are loved.”
The purpose of these meals is to help Chicagoans identify and overcome misconceptions about the homeless community—namely, that they’re more likely to commit crimes when they are, in reality, more likely to be the victim of a violent crime.
To coordinate these dinners, Dinners for Humanity hosts weekly “Meals of the Week” events. Volunteers, who can register at dinnersforhumanity.org, convene at a predetermined location and are paired up with a guest before the two head to a restaurant within a given radius. The organization provides a list of “suitable” restaurants to choose from, though meals should cost no more than $30 for each pair—volunteers are expected to cover the cost.
In addition to a warm meal, “by volunteering with us and attending the dinners, our volunteers provide the beautiful gift of shared time,” Lazrak wrote.
Interested volunteers must register before attending a dinner. Those who register are expected to attend—no flaking!—to ensure no guest is left without a partner, unless you’re able to notify the organizers with 24 hours notice. However, there’s no long-term commitment required. If you can only attend one dinner, that’s all the organization asks.
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