One act of hospitality sparks a movement
By Jon Katov, Open Table
Offering hospitality to strangers and the downtrodden is a call to action shared by many faith traditions. One group of church volunteers from Paradise Valley United Methodist Church in Paradise Valley, Arizona was presented with the opportunity to extend hospitality to a homeless man that took them beyond their comfort zone to lives forever transformed by a simple act of compassion.
While on a mission outreach to feed the homeless in a local shelter, one man stepped out of the line and asked to come worship at their church. In that instant, the choice to either sidestep this man’s humble request or to plunge headlong into unknown territory confronted a group of youth and adults from PVUMC, including Jon Katov, the eventual founder and CEO of Open Table, Inc. With only a moment’s hesitation, Jon and other PVUMC members made plans with Ernie to bring him to church services the very next day.
Weekly trips to and from the shelter and church fostered an emerging friendship and a greater understanding of the challenges that Ernie faced. Soon, Jon engaged a group of church members to join him in developing and implementing a plan that would empower Ernie to rise out of poverty and homelessness. Setting to work, some 12 volunteers deployed their life experiences and personal networks to help Ernie overcome obstacles and seize opportunities for a better future.
Ernie’s plan addressed employment, housing, healthcare, finances, and transportation. The church youth group and other members joined the effort by contributing their time and talent to help Ernie meet his goals. With the support and encouragement of his volunteer team, Ernie rejoined his community as a worker, consumer and taxpayer over four years ago.
News of Ernie’s transformation spread to other faith communities who were inspired to replicate the process. Hence, the Open Table Model was created to empower others to implement the strategies that had successfully restored Ernie to wholeness. Today, Ernie continues to live independently and continues friendships with many of the original Table members.
Out of this unanticipated encounter, Open Table grew to become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2007. Open Table’s mission is to transform homelessness and poverty through innovation and empowerment—one life, one family, one neighborhood at a time. Its innovative table model provides a holistic, volunteer-led solution to break the cycle of poverty.
Another component of Open Table’s radically new approach to poverty transformation is the expansive collaboration of partners it has recruited within the faith, government, business, education, and other non-profits communities. Collaborative partners are choosing to co-invest their own resources in the Open Table poverty transformation movement because of the proven efficiency and effectiveness of the Table Model.
Families served by Tables, known as brothers and sisters, represent diverse ethnic groups and life experiences, but all share a common drive to build a better life for themselves and their families. Open Table trains and equips 8-12 volunteers, known as Table Chairs, to develop and implement a personalized LifePlan for the family they serve. Table Chairs network to all kinds of resources needed to implement the LifePlan. Typically, Tables operate for about one year, meeting weekly to advance the tasks in the LifePlan.
Open Table has continued to enrich its table model with new partnerships and Table host sites. To date, Tables have served a wide diversity of family profiles, including young adults aging out of foster care, refugee families, prisoner re-entry families, seniors and single-parent/dual-parent families. Many faith traditions have hosted Tables, as well as the first school community and corporation in 2009. Additionally, Open Table has established research relationships with Arizona State University and Baylor University in Texas.
As an innovator in the social services sector, Open Table is competing to shift the focus from poverty maintenance initiatives to a proven poverty transformation solution. The Open Table model provides families in poverty with real tools that empower a lasting transition to self-sustainability. As it continues to expand across Arizona, Open Table is also emerging in Texas, California, and Israel, with expansion interest spreading across the United States. Please visit www.theopentable.org or call Jon Katov at 602-793-0533 to learn more and to view a video which tells the Table story from the perspective of volunteers and families served by Tables.
