About St. Herman's Table
"We serve the hungry in the name of Jesus Christ, offering food, prayer, and kindness, trusting God to supply what we lack."
— Our Mission
How This Ministry Began
St. Herman's Table began in August 2025 when a father and son felt called to serve their homeless neighbors. What started as delivering care packages throughout the community soon became something more. As they built relationships with the same people week after week at a local park, they recognized the need for a consistent presence and began serving a weekly Thursday meal.
As word spread throughout the parish, more volunteers joined the effort, and what began as a small act of service grew into a thriving community ministry. Today, St. Herman's Table provides meals, friendship, and practical support to neighbors in need while sharing the love of Jesus Christ through hospitality and genuine relationships. Every meal served and every friendship formed is offered in the name of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory.
Rooted in Orthodox Christianity
The Orthodox Church has practiced hospitality — philoxenia, love of the stranger — since its earliest days. The Desert Fathers taught that to turn away a hungry person is to turn away Christ himself. The great saints of the Church — Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Nicholas of Myra — were known above all for their care for the poor.
This ministry draws from that same ancient stream. We believe that every human being is made in the image of God — the imago Dei — and that this dignity demands a response of love. To serve a meal is not merely charity; it is an act of worship.
"When you see a poor man, think that you behold an altar."
— St. John Chrysostom
We pray before every meal. We offer kindness alongside food. We try, imperfectly and humbly, to see the face of Christ in every person who comes to our table.
Why give alms?
St. Herman of Alaska
Herman of Alaska arrived on Kodiak Island in 1794 as part of a missionary expedition from Valaam Monastery. While others returned, he stayed — living simply, caring for the sick, defending the Aleut people from exploitation, and teaching children to read.
He called himself "a poor and unworthy servant." He built a small chapel and school on Spruce Island, where he lived for decades in prayer and labor. He is the first Orthodox saint glorified in North America.
His life — humble, hidden, wholly given to others — is the spirit we seek to carry in this ministry.
