They’re making room at His Supper Table
Published 12:28 pm Monday, July 31, 2023
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His Supper Table
911 Pacific Ave., N. Long Beach
Take-out meals, Mondays and Wednesdays
Thrift store hours, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
360-642-4105
Monetary donations may be dropped off at the store or mailed to P.O. Box 1487, Ocean Park WA 98640.
The take-out meals at His Supper Table are available between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays.
A thrift store that serves as part of the Long Beach Peninsula’s social safety net plans to expand.
Jim Tweedie, president of His Supper Table, has announced a $200,000 expansion.
As the work gets underway, he and colleagues are appealing for public support to reach a fundraising goal.
The nondenominational Christian group was founded in 1998. Volunteers operate the thrift store in the old Long Beach Sears building at 911 Pacific Ave. N. The extensive inventory includes clothes, books, household items, bicycles and toys. Medical equipment not ordinarily covered by Medicare or other insurances, like walkers, shower stools and crutches, are distributed free.
‘We fill a crack for people who otherwise wouldn’t make ends meet.’
Jim Tweedie, His Supper Table president
During the renovation, the “man cave” portion of the store, which houses hardware and small appliances, will be curtailed while the pantry is moved there temporarily.
‘Stretch’
The location is the home base for a program that feeds between 65-100 people twice a week. After remodeling the kitchen in the building, which was constructed in 1940, the group’s meal program was moved from the Peninsula Church of the Nazarene.
Despite limited space, leaders offered sit-down meals until the pandemic changed operations to take-out. They hope the expansion will allow them to resume in-house meals to restore the valuable social element.
“Very few of our guests are homeless,” Tweedie said. “They are almost all housed. A few come just because it’s convenient, but the number of our guests increases toward the end of the month as the money runs out.
“It helps them stretch their dollars so they don’t have to choose between eating and gasoline or rent,” he added. “We fill a crack for people who otherwise wouldn’t make ends meet.”
Timetable
Tweedie said the nonprofit group has met about half of its target with community donations, grants and a bank loan. He hopes supporters will step up.
“The final cost will include interiors, flooring and shelving, and the cost of expanding the kitchen,” he said. “We hope to be done before the bad weather begins.”
During renovation work, managers will accept donations of clothing, but not larger items because they have no storage space.
Service
Tweedie said the operation is inspired by faith. “Jesus said to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and that is the reason this exists,” he said. “It is what it means to be human and a community, where we are neighbors with one another.
“The store serves the same purpose. We serve the needs of the community at an affordable price, by providing things that people would otherwise have to get by going across the river.
“The whole point of this investment and inconvenience is to serve the public better.”
• The store is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Take-out meals are available Mondays and Wednesdays.
