Running a nonprofit without government assistance isn’t an easy task. It involves having a community that truly cares about and supports the organization’s mission as well as dedicated core groups of volunteers. But there’s a huge upside; the organization has full autonomy regarding who they help and how they go about it. For Luke House, sandwiched between East Washington Avenue and Williamson Street on Ingersoll Street in Madison, it means the ability to feed and serve any person who walks through their doors, no questions asked.

The first guest demographic you might imagine are those experiencing homelessness. Accurate as this is, there are so many more people being served, including those with medical needs, mental health issues, families experiencing financial hardships, and those just needing social interaction. “We get a lot of the same guests,” says Sarah Bullard, executive director. “I would say at least 50 percent of our guests eat here almost every single meal. This is where they get their food.”

Sarah stresses that Luke House is not a food pantry. From the quality and variety of food served to the way volunteers greet and seat guests, the whole experience is meant to be a break from hardship and an ode to community. “What we do is a little bit more unique in terms of it’s in-person dining. We’re focused on the community, where it’s not just food. I mean, it is food, but it’s interaction with other guests and our volunteers. I love to see that. That’s why we don’t ask why. We don’t care why you’re here. You’re here, and we’re happy to see you.”

The spirit of Luke House goes back to founder Paul Ashe. In 1986, Paul worked on State Street, where there were school kids who’d ask him for something to eat. He and his coworkers started making sandwiches for the kids, and soon enough, more kids showed up. Then the regular nice thing Paul was doing for his community started to take shape in his mind as something he could do for a lot more people.

“This was his calling,” says Sarah. “He was almost a priest, but instead of being a priest he did Luke House.” When Paul retired, the heart of Luke House didn’t skip a beat. The mindfulness and volunteerism are still intact, with some of the original groups of volunteers still contributing their time and home cooking after all these years.

Many volunteer groups come from churches of all denominations and have been instrumental in providing guests a wide variety of quality food. “We try to keep our menu varied as much as we can, and each group brings the same meal every month. The fourth Thursday lunch is always Good Shepherd Lutheran’s ham, cheesy potatoes, and corn.” Greater Madison area businesses and other groups, including AprilAire and Edgewood College, also get in on the volunteering.

Another important focus of Luke House is controlling food waste. Food left unserved from a previous meal will always be incorporated into the open meal, typically a free-for-all kind of day. Egg bakes, casseroles, and variations of cottage pies—the oft unsung heroes of Midwest home cooking—make their way to the table. As for food scraps, a local farmer comes and picks them up to feed his chickens. In return, Luke House gets farm-fresh eggs.

It might come as a shock to some that a lot of people experiencing hardship are adamant about eating healthy and sustainable foods. Beggars can’t be choosers is shown to be a dismissive cliché implying that people down on their luck can’t care about things outside of the Freudian id. The trurth is many experiencing homelessness came to Madison to escape that mentality.

This doesn’t mean Madison is without fault, nor is it meant to suggest all those experiencing homelessness are sweethearts looking to better the world. Pobody’s nerfect, so Sarah has posted various signs around Luke House to remind people to be civil. The signs aren’t for every guest, but with hardship or mental illness can come the need to be reminded of things ranging from chewing with your mouth closed and washing your hands to not taking food off other people’s plates.

“Really, having a peaceful, calm dining room is my ultimate goal. Whatever reason people are here, whether it’s the sustenance of the food, social engagement, a break from the weather, they don’t want loud drama types of environments. … We love to see families in here and have them know that they’re always welcome and comfortable and don’t need to worry about someone saying something inappropriate.”

On the rare occasion a guest is overly problematic, Sarah’s philosophy is simply to be consistent. She’ll ask them to leave and come back in a week, and every time they return, they have a renewed sense of respect for what Luke House is all about…at least that’s the hope. Her philosophy extends to the way food is served. “Our operation is set up to be as consistent as possible. When we serve plates, the food goes down first, then the guests walk across the room. They get to pick their plate. Then a beverage-cart person comes over and asks if they want coffee, milk, or water.” This eliminates other issues, like complaints over portion and dessert sizes.

With holidays on the horizon, it’s worth noting that Luke House has special meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sarah encourages people to take advantage of the feasts, including other meals in the area, like Goodman Community Center’s Christmas lunch. “They’re going to give people tons of stuff. Go do it because they do it before Christmas and our meal is on Christmas.”

I wish I had more room to go into how grateful Sarah is to connect with all of these people and know that people in the homeless community trust her to share information of the health and successes of those she hasn’t seen for a while. More room to go into how great the volunteers are, and how they get to know the guests. By the way, new volunteer groups are always welcome and needed.

Luke House serves Sunday dinners and then does lunch and dinner Monday through Thursday. It’s become so integral to the daily lives of people in the area that Sarah never wants to see Luke House move from the neighborhood. If the community continues to learn about and stand behind this wonderful addition to the fight against hunger in Madison, I don’t see why that wouldn’t stay true.

Kyle Jacobson is a writer who thinks life wouldn’t be so heavy if more people lightened up.
Photographs provided by Luke House.