At Hands Across the Table, come for the food, stay for the company

LACONIA — While Got Lunch! programs are aimed at school-age children, there are services for adults, too. Hands Across the Table offers a free, hot meal every Wednesday evening, and it’s intended for those who have trouble affording a healthy meal, as well as those who would benefit from the experience of sharing a meal with others.

Debbie Frawley Drake, board member for the organization, said meals had to be canceled during the pandemic, but are now back as always — with the exception of next week, as the facility they use will be closed for a floor resurfacing. The meals will return on Wednesday, Aug. 30, and will continue every Wednesday thereafter. The doors open at 4:30 p.m., and dinner is served at 5. Hands Across the Table serves meals at the St. Andre Bessette Parish Hall at 31 Gilford Ave.

It was a slow return after the pandemic, Frawley Drake said, but dinner guests started to become more numerous this summer.

“The last six or seven weeks, we’ve been getting 80 or 90 people on our Wednesdays, which is very pleasing,” Frawley Drake said. “The need is still there, we have quite a few people come for the socialization, as well as the food. We’re seeing new faces and the word is getting out.”

As pleasing as the recent crowds have been, she said there’s still some ground to cover before they return to pre-pandemic meals, when they would have as many as 120 guests.

“There’s always room for more. We can make the room bigger if we need to, we can set more tables if we need to,” Frawley Drake said.

The program is funded largely through private donors, as well as through a partnership with the NH Food Bank, which funds the purchase of produce from local farms.

Frawley Drake said the organization could use a bit more help in the way of volunteers, specifically those who would be willing to help clean up afterward.

“We could use a few more hands for that piece of the puzzle,” Frawley Drake said.

Those interested in volunteering should reach out via the Facebook page for “Hands Across the Table – Laconia, NH” or send an email to handsacrosstt@gmail.com.