Community Corner
Hyattsville's Community Place Cafe: More Than Just Hunger Relief
This ministry of First United Methodist Church of Hyattsville reaches out to residents in need of guidance and support.
For about 20 years, the Community Place Café has been providing food, comfort and support not only to the homeless, but also to struggling working families.
Volunteers at the Café help cook and serve donated food at the four days a week, all year long.
Deborah Commodore, full-time director of Community Place Café, said the church provides the space, and volunteers come from ministries affiliated with the Community Ministry of Prince George’s County, a nonprofit organization that provides family and health services to those in need.
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There are at least eight volunteers serving about 100 community members on a typical day, and Commodore said donations come from churches, KFC, and .
This Thanksgiving the Café will give away and cook turkeys provided by the Prince George’s County Department of Social Services.
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“If you call this a soup kitchen, Deborah gets very upset,” said Winnie Thorne, a volunteer who is on the board of trustees at the church. “We look at it as much more than that. We give the Spirit, food and clothes.”
Part of what separates the Café from other hunger relief organizations is its flexibility. Visitors range from the homeless to people with disabilities who are employed, both part-time and full-time.
“I’m not an angel. I know how rough it is and how rough it can be,” Thorne said. “When I came to church, I wanted to give back because I thought I had taken so much. But getting closer to the Lord, what I do now, I do from the bottom of my heart.”
Allan Smith, a new face at the Café, said although he’s only been around for a month, he sees the passion the coordinators have and keeps coming back.
“You can see it in the way they walk and talk,” Smith said. “Winnie and Deborah are the heart and soul of this. [There’s] a lot of different folks that come in here to get food and they have to deal with a lot of things.
"They do a good job. I think it’s amazing how they take time out of their day to get this done," he said.
For the past five years, Commodore and Thorne have done more than just donate food. They have referred people to educational, health and housing programs. Both said that no matter the person’s condition, they never turn anyone down.
“If we don’t help each other, all of us are going to drown,” Thorne said.
The Community Place Café is open to all from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.