BENSONHURST — One of the nicest restaurants in Brooklyn is located in a Catholic church gym.
Once a month, parishioners of St. Dominic Church welcome a group of special guests to dinner. Volunteers set up tables covered with tablecloths, put out dishes, forks and knives, and place vases of flowers on the tables.
Welcome to Hope’s Kitchen.
The diners, who start lining up outside the church an hour before the 6 p.m. opening, are homeless people and those who were recently homeless and are now trying to get back on their feet.
On the menu at Wednesday’s dinner was minestrone soup, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, pulled pork, and hot dogs. The church volunteers cook the food, then serve as waiters and waitresses, taking food orders from the diners.
“We treat it like it’s a restaurant — but a restaurant with great service!” said volunteer Barbara Russo.
In addition to serving the food, the volunteers sit and talk to the guests. “They’re our friends,” said Elaine Adamo.
Daryl, a homeless man who asked that his last name not be published, said he likes the food but especially enjoys the conversations he has with the parishioners.
“The people here are so nice. They treat us with a lot of respect,” he said. “They make us feel good.”
For volunteer Grace Phillips, that’s the goal: to make the homeless guests feel valued.
“It’s not really about the food,” she said. “It’s about being treated like a human being. That’s more important than the meal. They can get a meal at the shelter.”
The monthly dinners are part of the parish’s homeless outreach program. Volunteers also drive a van to several locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan three times a month and hand out food and clothing to the homeless. Many of the folks who come to St. Dominic for dinner met the parishioners at one of the drop-off sites.
Deacon Anthony Mammoliti looked around the gym, saw the interaction between the volunteers and the diners, and said he was proud of the parishioners.
“They’re living out their faith,” he said. “This is what Jesus told us to do: Love one another.”