History
St. Joe’s Supper Table was established by Fr. Fred Magee, OMI in 1978. Fr. Fred lived in the rectory that now houses the St. Joe’s Supper Table. He noticed the growing problem of food insecurity and tried to do his part, in a very modest way, by preparing fresh sandwiches for anyone who came to the door of the rectory. As word spread in Ottawa of Fr. Fred’s outreach, parishioners from St. Joseph’s Parish joined him and the sandwich serviced evolved into a full, hot dinner offered on weekdays.
Mission
Our mission is to feed the hungry who come to our doors. As a low-barrier community meal service and food bank, we are dedicated to serving anyone who comes in need of food — for both the body and the soul. At the heart of our organization is our desire to nourish those most in need, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age, cultural backgrounds and life experiences. Embracing this diversity only enhances our organizational culture and creates an empowerment that helps foster good health and social well-being. The St. Joe’s Supper Table lives the charism of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate by walking in solidarity with the poor and marginalized of downtown Ottawa, while also responding to the changing and increasingly diverse demographics of our city, providing a welcoming place of rest for all.
Activities & Services
St. Joe’s Supper Table is located in downtown Ottawa (Sandy Hill), between the University of Ottawa and the Byward Market. As such we are an inner-city operation close to several homeless shelters. We have one fully-equipped kitchen, a dining room that seats up to 16 guests, and a community garden. We are open 5 days a week for meals. Our Sandwich Service operates from 9:30AM to 12PM Monday through Friday. The Dinner Service runs 5PM to 6:15PM nightly Tuesday to Friday. In addition, we also run two food bank locations that help serve the needs of Sandy Hill residents. Beginning at 9 am, volunteers arrive in the morning to our community kitchen in order to prepare bagged lunches and start cooking the main meal for the day. We also have baking crews that come in throughout the week to prepare deserts the guests.
Historically guests had a choice to come in for a hot meal or get a bagged meal at the door. Since the pandemic, we have offered hot meals in take-away containers. Takeaway meals are there for people who do not wish to come in and sit. We have built a reputation as having homemade nutritious meals and the warmest welcome and atmosphere of all the free meal providers in the city.