Who we are
As one of the oldest homeless supper programs in Boston, our dedicated team of volunteers has served thousands of warm, healthy meals every Friday night, including on holidays and through snow, storms, power outages, and pandemics. We are a secular organization, co-founded in 1984 by the Arlington Street Church, a Unitarian Universalist congregation, and Dignity Boston, a community of LGBTQI Catholics. Today, Arlington Street Church continues to underwrite space and utilities for the program and both members of Arlington Street Church and Dignity Boston continue as volunteers and board members and provide financial support.
Our Mission
The mission of the Friday Night Supper Program (FNSP) is to provide a warm nutritious meal to anyone in need, in a safe and dignified environment, every Friday night. Our dedicated team of volunteers serve approximately 100 meals every Friday evening. As one of our long-time volunteers proudly stated to a new recruit, “nobody has to go hungry in Boston.” Each guest is served a nutritious three course meal consisting of soup, dinner and dessert at their table by our courteous volunteer servers. Guests can also choose to take their meal “to-go.”
Through our bi-weekly Clothing Closet, we also provide clothing, shoes, toiletries, and other essential items to our guests following meal service. Our Guest Clothing Closet is run almost exclusively on donations.
Our Guests
Guests at the Friday Night Supper Program range from destitute and demoralized individuals living on the street, carrying all their possessions in a duffle bag, to more fortunate guests who have succeeded in securing permanent housing through the City of Boston’s recent initiative to end chronic homelessness. On average, FNSP serves 100 guests each Friday night. Guests come from various backgrounds and may include those coping with mental illness or substance abuse, youth living on the streets, elderly, disabled, abused women, individuals that are jobless or minimally employed. 100% live well below the poverty level.
Most of our guests return each and every Friday and depend on FNSP and other local food programs for their meals. FNSP serves the neighborhoods of Boston, providing a nutritious dinner in a comfortable setting that is easy to reach for residents of the South End, Roxbury, Dorchester, downtown Boston, South Boston, Cambridge, Somerville and nearby areas.
Our Community
FNSP benefits from a large dedicated group of regular volunteers and strong, long-term relationships with other area hunger-relief organizations, including the Greater Boston Food Bank, the American Red Cross, and Project Bread. The FNSP is also supported by partnerships with First Church in Boston and Old South Church in Boston. The Friday Night Supper Program is a long-time member of the network of organizations that make up our community’s continuum of emergency food services for people who are homeless and on extremely low income.
Arlington Street Church