The Gathering Place soup kitchen is preparing to expand its services in Lincoln. On Monday morning Community Action Partnership of Lancaster and Saunders County broke ground on a new facility designed to provide more meals and additional space for people in need.
“We are here today, of course, because it is time to build a bigger table,” says Community Action CEO Heather Lockman. He says demand at the Gathering Place has increased significantly. She says the number of people showing up for meals each night has risen 58 percent over the past five years.
The Gathering Place currently prepares as many as 200 meals each night in a kitchen of about 120 square feet. The new facility will be twice the size of the current location and will include a larger kitchen, more gathering space, a loading dock and an elevator to improve accessibility…