Community Corner

Emmaus House Of Hospitality Celebrates 11 Years Of Giving

Hot meals have been served to the less fortunate every Sunday since the program began in the summer of 2000.

What started as a short-term mission to help the homeless has become one of the gold standards of charitable giving in Lake Zurich.

Emmaus House of Hospitality has been providing hot meals to those in need every Sunday evening in the basement of St. Francis de Sales Church, 33 S. Buesching Road, since it started in June 2000.

On June 5, the organization will celebrate its 11th anniversary of giving.

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The original idea behind the organization came up because PADS (Providing Advocacy, Dignity and Shelter) closes its doors from May through October.

“We initially wanted to get into housing assistance and help people get back on their feet, especially while PADS was closed, but we had no idea how involved and long-term that goal would be,” said Beth Talbott, Emmaus House board member.

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So Talbott and a group of other concerned individuals decided they would start the community dinner, because it could immediately help people who could not utilize the PADS program that summer.

“We thought we could at least offer a hot meal once a week, so that is what we started with,” Talbott said.

The Community Dinner not only provides a nourishing meal for those in need, but it also gives them a place where friendship, support and camaraderie can be found. 

“We billed it as a community dinner, and whatever your circumstance in life is, you can come and enjoy a hot meal and some company, too,” Talbott said.

The first dinner had fewer than 10 guests, and Talbott says there are now roughly 200 people who attend each Sunday night.

Even though the beginning idea was to fill the gap left by PADS until the following October, coordinators for the Community Dinner decided they would continue.

“Toward the end of the summer season, we knew we hadn’t pulled all the homeless from PADS that we wanted to, so we just kept going, and we never stopped,” Talbott said.

A few years after the Community Dinner was established, it grew to include the Harvest Room, through the "Food Rescue" program.

Retailers like Costco, Trader Joe’s, Jewel, Target, Old World Bakery and Touch of Sweets donate meat, bread, fruit, vegetables and other food that is nearing
expiration but is still fresh. 

The Community Dinner invites guest to "shop" at no cost and take what they need.

There are about 20 volunteers who help each Sunday to ensure all guests are served.

Talbott says the organization always is looking for businesses and organizations to host the Community Dinner. Hosts can provide food and volunteers, and
even serve if they choose. 

Emmaus House has not lost sight of its initial mission to help those going through difficult times with interim housing and financial assistance. 

“We would like to expand our abilities to help people through fundraisers – we’ve had a lot of requests for help with mortgages, rent and utilities,” said Dana Rzeznik, president of the Emmaus House board of directors. 

Rzeznik says the organization’s biggest focus in the next few years is to find new financial donors so the agency can help more people.

“We see lots of new faces all the time because of the economy, and we also want to be able to assist people with electric and utility bills,” Rzeznik said. “Our clientele has really grown over the last couple of years.”

More volunteers also are needed, because many of the individuals who now donate their time are getting burned out. Rzeznik said even a few hours a week would provide a much-needed break for the many volunteers who have been with Emmaus House since it began.

Overall, the organization is touching so many lives – by providing a heartfelt meal and a safe place to enjoy it for about 800 people a month.

“I find it amazing that we are still here,” Talbott said.


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