History of the Lord’s Table
In 1984 concerned people of faith recognized there were poor and homeless persons in Gaithersburg that rarely, and some maybe never, were able to afford to go to a restaurant and be served a meal. A small group of St. Martin’s parishioners: Fran Hunt, Gail Bernero, Pam O’Connell, Mary Canapary, and John Caricofe, with the support of Pastor Fr. Americo (Dino) DiNorcia, established a program to prepare and serve a sit-down, 3-course meal: soup & salad, entree, and dessert; 5 days a week. The program has evolved into a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Gaithersburg Community Soup Kitchen aka The Lord’s Table operated for the first 35 years at St. Martin’s Church Hall and for the past 5 years at Epworth United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. The meals are open to all those in need: no questions asked, no charge. The Lord’s Table has served close to 500,000 meals which are prepared and served by hundreds of volunteers from local churches, synagogues and other organizations. October 2024 marked the 40th Anniversary of the founding of The Lord’s Table.
The Lord’s Table name was the result of a naming contest among St. Martin’s elementary school children. Until 2018 TLT operated out of St. Martin’s Church Hall. Eighty-eight churches of all denominations, synagogues, a mosque, and other civic organizations provided volunteers to maintain the 6 day a week hot meals service. Children from area schools helped serve the guests.