In Kingsport, Tennessee, The Table of Kingsport, a new community initiative, opened its doors in July 2024, initially operating from a single room furnished with just four tables.

Melissa Malcolm, the founder and pastor, initiated this non-profit under the Dinner Church movement, aiming to bring people together through shared meals and church teachings.

“Jesus taught us that sharing a meal is the best way to connect and build trust,” Malcolm explained. “Recognizing the neighborhood’s needs for both food and community, we sought to address these through our gatherings.”

The initiative eventually relocated to The Corner church on Gibson Mill Road, expanding its reach and capabilities.

Malcolm emphasized that The Table’s mission is to create a welcoming space where everyone feels accepted and valued.

“Many of our guests might feel marginalized or overlooked by society, and we want to counter that,” she stated. “We believe everyone deserves recognition, which is the driving force behind our work. While nourishing their bodies is important, nourishing their souls is even more fulfilling for us.”

The Table served more than 6,000 people in its first year of opening, and 90% of those it served rely on SNAP benefits.

The Table runs primarily off of monetary donations in order to provide well-rounded meals and ingredients for Monday night meals.

Volunteer Johnny Angel has been with The Table since it first opened. He said The Table not only serves the community, but helps find resources for those who are struggling.

“There’s some spiritual things, but we don’t force those,” he said. “It’s really a whole lot more trying to listen to people, hear what their problems are, what their struggles are, and how can we pray for them, but we’ve also tried to find out who resources are in the community, like agencies that may aid and try to point people in the right direction.”

Amy Hickman came to The Table when it was a warming shelter.

Now, she volunteers every week at The Table and credits the support system for her eight months of sobriety.

“You’re always kind of driven to volunteer at The Table after staying here because of the support and love,” “I’ve grown more, I’ve learned more. I know how to be patient because I want to be at the hands of Jesus. Especially in recovery, there’s a lot of folks that have gotten clean because they mentioned to me, ‘Hey, I’ve gotten clean because of you.’ It’s not really because of me. It’s because of God.”

A group of nearly 60 volunteers works every week to provide a Monday meal.

On Monday, volunteers head into the church around noon to cook, clean and set tables.

Volunteer Greg Skelton said his role has blessed him greatly.

“When you learn about people and you realize that everyone has a story, everyone has something in their life you can relate to and bond with, no matter whether they’re unhomed or they live in a mansion,” he said. “We are all human beings and we all deserve respect and we all deserve to eat.”

As meal attendance increases at The Table, the non-profit is hosting a breakfast fundraiser on Nov. 8.

Those who have dined at the Table may come for free, but members of the larger community are asked to pay $10 for all you can eat pancakes and sausages.

Malcolm said the money from the fundraiser will go towards continuing to provide meals for the community.

“If you can’t come and eat pancakes, you could donate $10, and it will pay for someone in the community to eat pancakes, and it will also feed them on Monday night, so it feeds them twice,” she said. “The pancake breakfast is a great opportunity for anybody to see what we do here because it will be just like we do on Monday night, just in the morning.”

To donate or volunteer for The Table of Kingsport, visit its Facebook page here.