Who we are:

Loaves and Fishes is an outreach ministry of Newman Hall-Holy Spirit Parish providing direct service to the needy and homeless in the Berkeley-Oakland area. Any community member who would like to prepare and/or serve meals to the homeless is welcome to participate. Approved expenses with receipts are reimbursed.  Volunteers must be at least high school age, and must sign up for all events in advance.

For more details on this year and this past year, click here to download a report by Joe Burns.

Loaves & Fishes provides the following direct services to those in need:

1st Saturday Community Dinner 1st Saturday month of each from 2-4:30 PM.

For  information, contact Joe Burns at: lf.newman.hall@gmail.com

To see the end of year 2023 Report, click here.

What we do

Take-Away Dinner

• Take-Away & Patio dinners for 70-80 Guests (including children) in to-go bags.

• Presently, a skeleton crew of volunteers: shops, prepares, cooks, packages and serves food, and cleans up.

• Preparations for the Take-Away meals are on the morning of the 1st Saturday.

Volunteer sign-up:

We currently have enough kitchen/food prep volunteers. But we are looking for someone to help on the patio during the 1st Saturday dinners. For more information about what’s involved and/or to sign up contact Joe Burns at lf.newman.hall@gmail.com

How can I volunteer:

Take-Away Dinner:

We appreciate your interest and commitment to serving those in need but have very few volunteer positions open. If you’d like to help provide services to the unhoused, we encourage you to check in with JC Orton of the Catholic Worker (510-684-1892) or with Food Not Bombs https://eastbayfoodnotbombs.org/.

Rave Reviews on the Dinner

One guest says: “They loved the meal, but there was one compliment to the dinner you should know. One of the guests was discussing the meal and compared it to other meals. She said that everybody knows the care that goes into the Newman L&F meal. She felt that our meal was always special, and that people cared whereas with other meals there's a carelessness about the meals.”

How can I help financially:

We value your financial support. To help us continue to provide quality meals to those in need you may —-

+ Write a check payable to Loaves & Fishes, send to:

Loaves & Fishes
2700 Dwight Way
Berkeley, CA 94704

+ Donate online at Newman’s Donation page.   Go to “Flexible Frequency” section and enter an amount in the LOAVES & FISHES field and specify if it is one time or a monthly.

+ Donate online using VENMO. Direct your funds to the @Newman-Hall account and put in the notes, “Loaves & Fishes”.

The Loaves & Fishes Team thanks you for supporting our outreach ministry at Newman.