Advocacy Work at Shepherd's Table
At Shepherd’s Table, the majority of our meal guests are food insecure and actively experiencing homelessness, whether it be sheltered, unsheltered, or in unstable housing. We believe that everyone deserves nutritious food of their choice and safe stable and affordable housing. Guests, volunteers, donors and the entire community are welcome to join us in every aspect of our service model to fight for a world free of hunger and homelessness.
Our model is to first bring guests to the table with meals, then provide other essential items and case management, while advocating for systemic-level change, to ultimately ensure homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring.
Check out our 2023 one-pager about Homelessness and Food Insecurity at Shepherd’s Table, we have included some really interesting feedback from our meal guest and data trends we have seen over the last year. We have also created 2023 Housing & Homelessness in Montgomery County Fact Sheet along with a FY 2025 Guide to help with upcoming Budget Forums.
Stay in the Know
Sign up for our Advocacy newsletter to stay in the loop on how we’re advancing access to food and housing. We need all our neighbors to call, write, testify and learn, so make sure you don’t miss your chance to act!
Our Priorities
Our priorities are categorized into three areas of subject matter: housing & homelessness, hunger & food insecurity and behavioral health. Read more about our Advocacy Priorities and talking points here.
This year we are also focusing on funding three peer support specialists to work on engaging our most vulnerable guests at Progress Place. Find more information about this budget ask in our FY2025 Budget Toolkit.
How can you help? Ways to take action:
- Participate in your local government: Budget hearings, public hearings for specific legislation, town halls, and more.
- Learn who your local Councilmembers are, representing your district and the four at-large members here.
- Join the advocacy list to receive alerts for upcoming opportunities.
- In collaboration with the MORE Network, staff and guests from Shepherd’s Table attend monthly the Transformative Housing Group meeting, which discusses county-wide problems and solutions centered on housing. To learn more about this in person and hybrid event, please email Brenna Olson at [email protected]
- One of the best ways to begin advocating is to connect with your community. Volunteering at Shepherd’s Table during meal times or at the resource center is a great way to do so! Sign up for a shift here.
If you have any questions or would like to get involved further, sign up for our advocacy email list or email our Advocacy Manager, Brenna Olson, at [email protected]
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