Charlie’s Story

December 21, 2018
Open Table
Annual Appeal

Charlie, known by many in the community for his high-wattage smile, is a developmentally disabled man who lives alone. When crisis struck this summer, a concerned neighbor called Neighbor Brigade, an organization that works to meet the needs of people in local communities facing a sudden crisis. Polly Mendoza, an executive director at Neighbor Brigade, got in touch with Charlie immediately, visited him at home, and found his refrigerator nearly empty.

Thanks to our partnership with Neighbor Brigade, Charlie’s kitchen is now stocked with healthy food. On Mondays, a Neighbor Brigade volunteer takes Charlie to Open Table so he can shop for groceries at the food pantry. On Tuesdays, another volunteer picks up ready-made meals from Open Table and drops them off with Charlie. Polly also is teaching Charlie to cook some of the fresh foods that Open Table provides.

When community organizations work together to help Charlie and others in crisis it’s a win-win partnership. Your donation makes this happen.

“It’s a positive model of how local organizations can come together to reach more people,” said Polly, “and how we make the community, and the world, a little better.”

When you support Open Table with your gift of a year-end donation, you are also supporting the many community organizations we partner with, so that together we can make a real difference for our neighbors, like Charlie.

Please consider a donation to Open Table during our Annual Appeal.
Any amount is appreciated.