Located on 1448 E Street in Lincoln, The Gathering Place serves free evening meals to those who face hunger in our community.
Community Action's Gathering Place (1448 “E” Street in Lincoln) provides free hot, nutritious meals seven days a week from 5 to 6 p.m to anyone who needs a meal - no questions asked. Guests can choose to eat inside the beautiful Gathering Place house or take their meal to-go.
History of The Gathering Place
In May of 1982, the Gathering Place opened its doors on 1448 E. Street in Lincoln, Nebraska. Originally designed as a hospitality center, its mission, according to one of the original founders, was to establish a house that could be turned into a place “where anyone with special concern for the poor, elderly, lonely, homeless, hungry, differently abled, and disenfranchised would feel welcome.” Gathering Place founders envisioned the house as a place where people from all walks of life could be in the fellowship of one another so as to fill a void in the spiritual community in Lincoln.
Now, the Gathering Place is a program of Community Action and serves over 55,000 meals annually to those who face hunger in Lincoln. Evening meals are served seven days a week from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.. This important work is made possible through the hard work and dedication of over 500 volunteers annually, and contributions from the community. Though its offerings have changed throughout the years, Community Action's Gathering Place is still very much a reflection of its original vision as a place where people from all walks of life can come together, converse, and if only for an hour or two, gather together as one.
Let's Build a Bigger Table.
Our community relies on our services more than ever before—and with increased kitchen space and a larger dining area, we can ensure that everyone can enjoy a hot, nutritious meal in a safe and supportive environment.
A larger building means we’ll be able to create room for our guests who need a private space for case management discussions, which is currently difficult. The new building is also in close proximity to the F Street Community Center, the Center Terrace development, and The Hub Central Access Point for Young Adults, making the move valuable to our neighborhood.
The new space is twice as large as our current location, and the increased kitchen area means that we can produce more meals and cook a broader variety of items at the same time—for healthier, more balanced dinners. Greater storage capacity will allow us to accept high-volume donations and store produce more readily. The addition of an elevator means that our staff and volunteers won’t have to carry food up and down our decades-old stairs every day. And while we’re looking forward to serving out of the new space, we know that it comes at a cost.
That's where you come in. To purchase and renovate our new Gathering Place, we need to raise $5.5 million. We’ve already raised $2.8 million. With your help, we’re confident we can serve our first meal out of the new Gathering Place in the fall of 2027. We’re also raising an additional $1 million endowment to support our operations for years to come.
Want to Know More?
If you are interested in finding out more about the Gathering Place, or are looking for ways to help, please contact:
Lisa Janssen (she, her, hers)
Gathering Place Administrator
(402) 476-7398
ljanssen@communityactionatwork.org
Please mail all Gathering Place correspondence to:
Community Action
Attn: The Gathering Place
210 O Street
Lincoln, NE 68508
