St. Ben's Community Meal Program

Peace and Justice

After nearly a year and a half, the St. Ben’s Community Meal program has reopened its doors to the homeless and hungry.

The free hot dinners served at the St. Benedict the Moor Parish meal hall, long a mainstay of Milwaukee’s Westown neighborhood, resumed last month for the first time since March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the program to halt most in-person operations.

While about half as many people are seeking meals, and the hall is short-staffed, Brother Robert Wotypka is optimistic he will see an uptick as word gets around.

Over 70 people are stopping by nightly, up from fewer than 40 when it first reopened in early September, said Wotypka, ministry director for Capuchin Community Services.

Their Mission

Inspired by the gospel of Jesus and the example of Francis of Assisi, the Capuchin friars of the Province of Saint Joseph, together with our partners in ministry, prayerfully build sister-brotherhood in the world. We attend simply and directly to the spiritual and other basic human needs, especially those of the poor and disenfranchised, promoting justice for all.