November 2023 Newsletter
- From the Director
- Gratitude Feast
- November Serving Schedule
From the Director
I am full to the brim with gratitude. Our From Scratch fundraiser was a huge success! After three years of hosting virtual fundraisers, it was time to switch to an in-person gathering, and I’m so glad we did. It was wonderful to see so many people coming together to support this ministry. As of today, we have raised $41,163! This is thrilling, especially as our original goal was $30,000. What a gift!
Thank you to everyone who made the evening so remarkable. Thank you to the whole team who planned the evening, especially Sandy Aslaksen, our Board Chair and Event Chair. Thank you to the whole staff who organized many details and created a delicious feast while also making our regular lunch happen – even that day! Thank you to the Board of Directors and Ambassadors who helped to invite and gather so many people. Thank you to Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church for being wonderful hosts. Thank you to The Good Acre, Brake Bread, Branch Landscape Nursery, Karen Stevenson, and the Shobi’s Staff for providing generous donations to the raffle and live auction. Thank you to Jeff Kidder for providing beautiful music, Peter Rogness for his steady guidance as emcee, Justin Grimm and Rolf Lowenberg-DeBoer as our mixologists, to Marshall Saunders for putting our video together, our volunteer dish crew, and former staff on our kitchen team, Thank you to the Fladeboe Team for introducing us to and leading us in a resoundingly successful live auction and fund-a-meal!
In my remarks from the evening, I shared that it has been my goal to make Shobi’s Table less dependent on me and grow to be supported and strengthened by a whole community. I see that growth every day! I’ll end here with clip from what I shared that evening:
And right now in this moment at From Scratch- this table is strengthened by people like you in this room. Whether you have known about Shobi’s since it first began, or you just heard about it today – you are a part of this community making the table longer and the connections deeper each day. You see, Shobi’s Table needs everyone at the table. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Shobi’s Table is not just a meal program for poor people. It is the table that each and every one of us need.
Our name, Shobi’s Table, comes from 2 Samuel 17. In the middle of some pretty serious family drama, King David finds himself at war with his own son, and hiding from him in the wilderness. Out of seemingly nowhere, Shobi pops up and lays before the crew a lavish feast – for they were hungry and thirsty and weary in the wilderness.
Even King David knew what it was like to be hungry, thirsty and weary. Perhaps you do too. Our wilderness may be urban, but we certainly know that there are many who live in St Paul who are hungry for food, thirsty for connection and weary of the ways we have grown apart. Come to Shobi’s Table for lunch with us, and you will be fed in more than one way. Thank you for being part of our community.
In deep gratitude,
Deacon Kari Olsen
Shobi’s Table and Daily Work are sponsoring a Gratitude Feast on Thanksgiving Day this year at Christ on Capitol Hill, and you are invited! Come join Daily Work job-seekers and Shobi’s Table community members for a time to share a good meal and a time of gratitude. The meal is FREE! We will serve a traditional menu of Thanksgiving food as well as a few other items for more cultural inclusion.
If you’d like to bring something to share, we are accepting donations of desserts and bread or rolls (please let Kari know if you’re bringing something!)
Please let us know if you plan to join us by RSVP’ing on Facebook or by emailing Kari at director@shobistable.org or Judy at judy@daily-work.org.
No regular lunch service during the week of Thanksgiving. Come to the Gratitude Feast!
| (Re)Introducing Daniele |
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Daniele is back with Shobi’s Table after taking a year and a half to work with seniors at a local nursing home. She is a single mom to two amazing young men and is preparing herself for a truly empty nest at the end of this school year when her youngest graduates. She loves crafting and creating, gardening indoors and out, cooking, and collecting tiny things. She’s looking forward to learning more about fundraising and grant writing and supporting the mission of Shobi’s Table however she can. She’ll see you at the truck!!
Come Volunteer – it’s the new coffee date!
Planning on catching up with a friend over a cup of coffee? Come and catch up over a cutting board instead! We need your hands (and your friend’s hands) to prepare all the ingredients for 200 meals each week. No worries if you don’t have a lot of kitchen experience – we will show you what to do!
Shobi’s Table is a pay-as-you-can mobile café in St Paul, MN. We rely on your support financially, in volunteer hours, in sharing about us with a friend and neighbor, sharing lunch with us, and especially in prayer.