Welcome! These are the first words each and every one of the over 200 guests hear as they arrive for lunch on Wednesday at Saint Thomas More Catholic Chapel & Center at Yale University. Students, faculty, staff and local volunteers greet, serve, cook and cleanup to make the meal possible. Today each  guest will recieve a handpainted Easter egg courtesy of the children of the Saint Thomas More community. In the past we have given guests toiletry kits, homemade scarves and fresh baked cookies. These small celebrations have become a hallmark of welcome for our guests.
Recipients of the N2N grant, we are able to provide a hot and nutritious lunch for all of our guests particularly in light of the growing numbers we see each week. Many of the guests remark that the warm welcoming atmosphere is the highlight of their week. Our soup kitchen allows the volunteers, particularly students, to experience first hand those who once seemed remote and to create meaninful relationships with our guests.