Come for Supper feeds more than hunger

April 27, 2026

By La Crosse Community Foundation

A weekly community meal in La Crosse

By the time the doors open at 4 p.m. Tuesdays, people are already waiting outside Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in La Crosse. They come for a meal, yes, but also for something harder to name. They come for a place where they are greeted, respected, and welcomed exactly as they are.

Inside, volunteers move with quiet rhythm, pouring coffee, setting plates, greeting familiar faces — doing what they’ve done every week for 30 years. Pastor Joanne Richmond stands at the doorway, offering the same simple promise that has guided Come for Supper since 1996.

“Everybody who comes in the door is welcome,” she said.

What began with 35 guests on a December evening has grown into a weekly effort serving 250 to 300 meals. The purpose, however, has never changed: Anyone who walks through the door is fed.

The idea started with the congregation’s social ministry committee, which wanted to put faith into action in a tangible way. A free weekly meal was a place to start, and over time, it became something deeper.

Who comes — and why

Those who gather on Tuesdays reflect the full breadth of the community. Some live in nearby high-rises. Some are working but stretching their dollars as far as they can. Some are unsheltered. Others simply come for connection. What they share is not a single circumstance, but a shared experience that extends far beyond the meal itself.

Richmond remembers one evening when a regular guest, someone without stable housing, paused on the way out. They set down their bags and asked for a hug. That day, they had learned a parent had died and that they would not be allowed to attend the funeral.

“They trust us enough to share that kind of pain,” she said.

Moments like these have shaped how she understands the program.

“There are a whole lot of problems that are not easily fixed,” she said. “Sometimes the best thing we can do is hold people, feed them, and give them a safe place to be.”

More than a meal

Over time, something else has taken root at the Tuesday suppers.

Volunteers know guests by name. Guests look out for one another. People notice when someone is missing. What happens on Tuesday evenings is not just a service; it’s a community — one built on consistency, dignity, and care.

A core team of about a dozen volunteers, supported by others who step in as needed, prepares and serves hundreds of meals each week. And they’re good meals: a nutritious entrée, vegetables, a starch, fresh fruit, salad, bread, and dessert. Guests can stay and eat or take meals to go, a practice that expanded during COVID-19 and continues to meet people where they are.

“Obviously, we couldn’t do it without the volunteers,” Richmond said.

What makes it possible

Donor support also makes the work possible, covering the cost of food and ensuring the meal can be offered week after week without barriers. That includes support from La Crosse Area Community Foundation donors, who help sustain the program. In a time when many households are stretching limited resources, that consistency matters. For some, Come for Supper is an occasional stop. For others, it has become part of how they get by.

For those who give, the impact is both immediate and lasting. Richmond describes it as a unique way of caring for people — one that extends beyond nutrition. It creates a place where people are welcomed without condition, where they’re treated with dignity, and where, even briefly, they can set down what they are carrying.

“It’s not just about feeding folks,” she said. “It’s about welcoming them into a space where all are welcome.”

After three decades, Come for Supper has become a steady presence in the community. It’s a presence sustained by generosity, shaped by volunteers, and grounded in a simple, consistent act of care.

That’s what makes Tuesdays meaningful. The meal matters, of course. But what people carry with them when they leave often matters just as much.