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About

Mission

Who We Are
Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach was founded by Catholics and has become a diverse community of servants, called by God to nourish and empower one another in a spirit of dignity and love.

Vision
Defeat hunger and homelessness. Restore hope!

Our Mission
To relieve hunger, overcome homelessness, address addiction, and provide outreach and advocacy in Lincoln. 

Core Values

Integrity: Being honest, ethical, and accountable in all interactions

Dignity: Honoring the value, humanity, and sacredness of each individual

Empowerment: Removing barriers and providing resources to help people feel confident and courageous in making their own decisions

Compassion: Loving acceptance and seeking to genuinely understand and help alleviate suffering

Inclusion: Creating an environment where people are respected, supported, and have a sense of belonging

Diversity: Valuing differences and welcoming people of all races, genders, religions, ages, abilities, sexual orientations, and economic levels


History

Matt Talbot started in 1992 when Mary Costello saw an unmet need in Lincoln and reached out to people experiencing homelessness by serving a meal on Saturday nights. The need was great so Mary, Ruth McKinstry, and a few others reached out to their churches and found that more people wanted to help. Soon meals were served every day through faith-based, inclusive, and completely volunteer efforts. Since that first meal in 1992 over 2.4 million meals have been served to those who hunger for food and a better life. 

Today Matt Talbot is a permanent fixture of Lincoln's safety net with volunteers providing two meals a day and professional staff offering a wide range of outreach services to prevent and alleviate homelessness. It is a mission of feeding in the broadest sense of the word in an environment that encourages empowerment, nonviolence, and mutual respect.

Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach is named after an Irish Catholic man born in 1856. Matt started working as a messenger for a wine merchant at age 12, began drinking heavily, and was a confirmed alcoholic by the age of 13. He continued his alcoholic ways until, at 28, he vowed to quit drinking and devote his life to working and doing penance. He remained sober until he died in 1925. Matt supported his sobriety with prayer, spiritual reading, worship, and community support. In 1975 Pope Paul VI declared him to be Venerable Matt Talbot which is a step toward sainthood. For alcoholics of all faiths, his life provides a powerful example of conversion, recovery, and hope. Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach is one of many agencies throughout the country and world that bears his name.