The Community Table
Crisis Leadership & Community Expansion in a Time of Isolation
A Model Built on Gathering
The Community Table exists to address food insecurity through something profoundly human: sharing meals together. Our dining room model was intentionally designed to remove stigma, no income requirements, no barriers, no labels. Everyone sits at the same table.
When the pandemic hit, the very thing that defined us — gathering — became impossible.
Most of our volunteers were older and medically vulnerable. Our kitchen operations halted overnight. The dining room closed. Our funding relied entirely on grants and community donations during an uncertain economic moment. We faced a fundamental question: How do you preserve belonging when you cannot gather?
Collaborating in Community
Incorporating W&L students into The Community Table operations “Built a bridge between two worlds.”
Strategic Pivot: From Dining Room to Distributed Model
Rather than pause operations, we redesigned them.
1. Reimagining Food Preparation
Because volunteers could not safely cook in our kitchen, we partnered with local restaurants and caterers — businesses themselves struggling during shutdowns.
Restaurants prepared meals under contract.
We supported the local economy while feeding the community.
We created entirely new logistics systems for food transport and packaging.
This shift required rapid development of new standard operating procedures:
Food safety and transport protocols
Packaging workflows
Volunteer handling procedures
Curbside distribution systems
College Partnerships
W&L Students prepared, delivered, and helped serve meals as part of their volunteer corps.
2. Launching Curbside Pickup
With the dining room closed, we implemented a curbside pickup model. Families could receive as many meals as needed per household, no questions asked.
The response was immediate and overwhelming. Donations remained strong despite economic strain, reinforcing that the community believed in the mission. And we discovered something unexpected: For many families, takeout was not just a temporary fix, it was a preferred and more accessible option.
New Ways to Help
We discovered something unexpected: For many families, takeout was not just a temporary fix, it was a preferred and more accessible option.
Expanding Access Beyond City Limits
As demand grew, we recognized a new barrier: transportation.
Many rural families could not easily travel to Lexington for pickup. Instead of accepting that limitation, we partnered with the Rockbridge Area Transit System (RATS) to provide free transportation to and from rural communities. This extended our reach beyond city limits into the broader county, permanently shifting our geographic footprint.
Later, we partnered with Campus Kitchen at Washington & Lee to prepare meals for an additional service day, expanding into Wednesday lunches.
We also collaborated with Fairfield Presbyterian during its weekly “Free Market,” integrating meals into a larger ecosystem of food access, local farmers, and pantry distribution. The model evolved from a single dining location into a distributed community network.
New Locations
Our new meal location in Glasgow at the under utilized community center become one of the most popular locations!
The hardest decisions were not operational, they were philosophical.
The dining room was foundational to our identity. Some board members felt that continuing curbside service after reopening diluted our mission.
I took a different view.
Our bylaws were designed to seek and respond to emerging community needs. The takeaway model had revealed hidden barriers:
Families uncomfortable dining publicly
Health-compromised individuals
Caregivers balancing time and privacy
Working parents needing flexibility
For many, takeout was the only viable access point. I advocated for maintaining both models: dining room and takeout. Not everyone agreed. Board transitions followed. Conversations were difficult. But the mission demanded expansion, not contraction. Community does not require proximity. It requires access.
Clarified Messaging
One challenge emerged clearly: higher-income residents hesitated to accept meals, fearing they were taking resources from neighbors in need. We reframed the narrative with the inclusive campaign line: “Dinner’s on us.”
The message was simple and intentional: this is not charity, it is community. And it worked!
Strengthening Infrastructure & Sustainability
During this period, we:
Secured the largest grant in organizational history
Invested in commercial-grade kitchen upgrades (refrigeration, stove, dishwasher, prep counters)
Transitioned our chef from volunteer to paid employee
Added a part-time paid Volunteer Coordinator
Formalized operational SOPs for safety, logistics, and volunteer management
Clarified brand messaging to reinforce inclusivity
One messaging challenge emerged clearly: higher-income residents hesitated to accept meals, fearing they were taking resources from neighbors in need. We reframed the narrative with the inclusive campaign line: “Dinner’s on us.”
The message was simple and intentional: this is not charity, it is community. And it worked!
What This Leadership Required
Rapid systems design under uncertainty
Partnership development across sectors
Governance navigation and board evolution
Change management amid philosophical tension
Brand clarification and messaging refinement
Infrastructure investment strategy
Volunteer culture stewardship
Most importantly, it required protecting the dignity embedded in the mission. We were never just feeding people, we were reinforcing belonging.