The Table’s story is a celebration of community born out of a desire to grapple with local hunger and to do so in a manner which recognizes the dignity and worth of all people. Through meals and unconditional love, the Table stands as a place of nourishment for both body and soul. This timeline is the story of the Table, but even more so, it is a story of people who created and continue to sustain the Table over the years.
40+ Years of My Brother's Table
Fr. Lawson and Nancy Ryan meet at a conference and share stories of hunger they have seen in Lynn. The two begin to imagine a place where people would be welcomed and where they would enjoy conversation and free meals. They decide to invite others to join them in exploring the idea of a soup kitchen in Lynn.
The Founders of the Table hold two meetings, inviting the community to be part of creating a soup-kitchen in Lynn. The community’s response is warm and enthusiastic.
Trinity Baptist Church of Lynnfield volunteers to serve the first meal at My Brother’s Table. Over 100 meals were served on the first evening, progressing to the Table averaging 75 people a night the 3 nights a week it was open.
When jobs became scarce during the recession of the 1980’s, guests asked if the Table could be open more often. The Board and volunteers rose to the occasion, first by serving 5 days a week and soon after, serving every day of the week, every day of the year.
When the City of Lynn determined that Union Street would be redeveloped, the Belcrest building where the Table was located was slated for demolition. The Table sought a new site but was stymied in their efforts to obtain permits needed for relocation. The City of Lynn acquired the building now known as the Multi Service Center and requested the Table to relocate there. Once renovations were complete, the Table moved into its current location.
During the difficult early years of the AIDS epidemic, many guests or their family members fell ill and were unable to walk to the Table for meals. In response, the Table began its Dinner Shuttle, delivering meals to homebound individuals and families who were ineligible for Meals on Wheels. The program was renamed Joe’s Meals after Joe Halliwell, the volunteer who ran the program for over a decade.
In a partnership with Jason Cruz, a local art therapist, the Table begins a weekly art program in the dining room where guests create works of art while talking and unwinding. Volunteer Cindy McCann later took the reins creating a cityscape of Lynn worked on by artists as young as 3 and as old as 90.
When the Table moved to its current location, the City moved a popular lunchtime AA meeting from City Hall to the Table. This meeting as well as evening AA and NA meetings the Table hosted from their earliest days were forbidden during a bitter fight over renewing the Table’s lease. The Table then began a simple lunch program as the dining room was empty at lunchtime and that program continues to this day.
In 2012 the Table began a visioning process, looking for ways to communicate their mission to a younger, more diverse generation. This process saw the updating of the Table’s logo and a fresh, short mission statement which captured the heart of the Table’s original mission: to nourish our community every day through hospitality, free meals and unconditional love.
When the Lynn Health Task Force, a health care advocacy group the Table belongs to, received a grant from Mass General to provide outreach services to Lynn residents who were not engaged in primary care, the Table embarked on a project which saw the creation of new clinic space off the dining room, complete with an exam room and lab as well as an outreach case manager from the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless and a nurse practitioner from Lynn Community Health Center.
As the medical clinic expanded and as many guests were found who needed somewhere safe to recuperate from illness or injury, the concept of a recuperative care center in Lynn was born. With a community benefits grant from North Shore Medical Center, the respite was built in a former bowling alley and when patients moved in, the Table began providing meals there.
Like the rest of the world, the Table switched its way of doing business overnight as the pandemic hit. The Table expanded its hours of operation to decrease lines and meet exploding demand and switched to a take-out model where all drinks and meals were served to-go.
In 2021, the Table launched WHIRL (Wicked Healthy irl), its smoothie project. Created as a way to serve fresh fruits and vegetables to people with dental problems, each smoothie contains fruit, vegetables, and protein. Prepared by at risk youth, this project provides smoothies to the guests and neighbors of the Table.
After raising a significant portion of funds and hiring an architect and general contractor, the Table empties its dining facility and begins serving meals from a construction trailer. Strangely, it goes off without a hitch, with one take-out window used for drinks, the other meals.
The Table introduces the community to its new dining facility. The reimagined space includes a comfortable dine-in space and a new production and take-out area. Planning begins for replacing outdated equipment in the kitchen and upgrading the ovens and stovetops to meet production needs.
The Table has served over half its meals in its 42-year history since 2020, serving approximately a million meals a year in the past 4 years. All of this is done with a small staff, volunteers and no government funding.
In early June of 2026, MBT served it’s 10 millionth meal. Federal cuts to food programs began, removing 4 million Americans from SNAP benefits. Cuts to other sources of support, like health insurance and housing assistance, put additional financial strain on Lynn households.