CHAMPION — Daily Bread Soup Kitchen guests and volunteers will notice a cherished face smiling outside the building's doors every day.
The entirely volunteer-run kitchen unveiled a bronze plaque on the outside facade of its North First Street dining room this week in memory of the operation's founder and leader, Ellen McDowell, who passed away last summer at age 99. A nameplate was unveiled.
Bob Goss, president of the nonprofit organization, said he and other members decided last winter that they wanted to create a permanent reminder of their daily inspiration and gratitude for public service. Ta.
“We have some long-term guests who have been here for decades, so this plaque was a reminder of what got us here today, and of course for our volunteers. , that spirit of service reminds us that our mission is, “We're here to do that,'' Goss said.
Daily Bread, which provided more than 240,000 free meals last year, had humble beginnings in the early 1980s at St. Jude Catholic Worker House on University Avenue.
Inspired by Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker movement, McDowell led a small group of volunteers to serve lunch to 30 to 40 guests a day. The organization eventually moved in his 2016 to its current headquarters across the street from the Champaign Police Department.
Goss pointed out that the only money the soup kitchen doesn't use to feed customers is the three-times-a-year newsletter. Although approved by the Board of Directors, the plaque was entirely paid for through the generosity of private donors.
“This is a tribute to her and the entire board and all of our volunteers,” Goss said of the plaque. “It reflects our sincere love for what she helped achieve.”
Another board member, Ellen Harms, has volunteered at Daily Bread since the 1990s. Harms said everyone respected McDowell and all 200 volunteers are working to keep this space mission in her memory.
Although McDowell was one of the soup kitchen's key founders and leaders, Harms noted that the organization resisted being named after him when it moved. That's why the board was “delighted” to have Mr. McDowell officially recognized on a plaque outside the door.
“We suggested we call it Ellen's Kitchen because she was so loved by so many of our guests,” Harms said. “Then she flatly said, 'Absolutely not. This is not my kitchen, it's our entire kitchen.' This is your kitchen.”
