People’s Table provides more than food. We deliver food assistance in Milwaukee while helping neighbors connect, build stability, and create stronger communities.

Founded initially as the Jim Luther New Hope Center (JLNHC) through St. Hyacinth’s Catholic Parish, our organization began as a small pantry serving a food desert on Milwaukee’s south side. Today, as People’s Table, we reach nearly 20,000 individuals each year through our pantry and our innovative Food Collectives, which bring families together to support one another and access vital resources.

Our Impact in Milwaukee

Every year, People’s Table helps thousands of neighbors with food assistance and more:

  • 19,282 individuals served through our pantry
  • More than 30,000 pounds of produce distributed
  • 5 volunteer trainings to equip our team with tools and resources
  • 45 families participating in Food Collectives
  • 70 resource partners and speakers sharing opportunities and guidance

Our work is about more than numbers. Each family receives not only food, but personal support and access to a community that fosters resilience and hope.

What Guides Us

Our values shape how we deliver food assistance and community support:

  • Dignity: Every person deserves respect, regardless of their situation.
  • Compassion: We foster authentic relationships built on generosity.
  • Integrity: We are honest, transparent, and accountable in all our actions.
  • Empowerment: We give people ownership in improving their lives and the neighborhoods they live in.
  • Gratitude and Community: We express appreciation and bring together people from diverse backgrounds.

These principles enable us to do more than just meet immediate needs. They help us nurture lasting community bonds.

How Our Model Works

Our theory of change is simple:

  1. Meet immediate needs with substantial food assistance and support.
  2. Help individuals focus on achieving personal goals, such as work, housing, and family stability.
  3. As individuals gain stability, they begin sharing and supporting others.
  4. Deep, interdependent bonds form, creating self-sustaining neighborhoods.

This approach fosters a social fabric of care, where people feel they belong and can rely on one another, creating lasting change.

Our History

2025
September 22
People’s Table Name & Branding is Introduced

The Jim Luther New Hope Center is rebranded as People’s Table. The change in name was to better communicate our mission and story: We are a place for all people. We all “have a seat at the table”. We are a place to gather for food, community, and support. Our organization continually improves its programming and adapts to the needs of the neighborhood to promote holistic wellbeing in Milwaukee.

2023
November 9
The Pantry Opens Second Food Collective Program
2021
May 5
Pantry Re-Named Jim Luther New Hope Center

The St. Hyacinth Food Pantry becomes a 501(c)3 organization and is renamed the Jim Luther New Hope Center in remembrance of the Pantry’s long-serving founding director.

2019
June 1
Food Collective Program Launches

The Pantry begins its first Food Collective Program (formerly known as Food Co-op Program).

2012
August 1
Service Expanded to Twice Per Week
2010
April 17
Clothing Ministry Begins; Walk-in Freezer Donated by Harley-Davidson Museum
2006
July 1
Social Work Services Added in Partnership with Catholic Charities
2005
February 1
St. Hyacinth Food Pantry Opens

With help from the Diocese, Father Bob Staffater opened the St. Hyacinth Food Pantry. The Pantry had humble beginnings in its food and nursing ministry. Suburban Catholic Churches supported the Pantry’s formation, including Lumen Christi, St. Anthony’s on the Lake, and St. John Vianney. St. Hyacinth Food Pantry operated for the public once per week, offering food provided by the Hunger Task Force and Feeding America.

People’s Table delivers food assistance and fosters lasting community connections. Whether you come to us as a pantry shopper, a Food Collective member, a volunteer, a donor, or a partner, you are part of a network working to create a stronger Milwaukee for everyone.