Loaves and Fishes Meal Program

Loaves and Fishes Meal Program We are one of the largest meal programs serving the people in need in Cambridge area. The kitchen opens at 5:30 pm every Saturday at First Korean Church.

Dinner on March 28, 2026--------------This past Saturday, during Palm Sunday weekend, we gathered for our weekly dinner....
03/31/2026

Dinner on March 28, 2026--------------
This past Saturday, during Palm Sunday weekend, we gathered for our weekly dinner. A wonderful group of volunteers from Lynnfield High School joined us in serving the community, along with several teachers and friends from Cambridge Public Schools.

At the beginning of the evening, attendance at our tables was slightly lower than usual—perhaps due to the sudden return of cold weather. However, as the night went on, more guests arrived, and we ultimately had to open additional tables to accommodate everyone.

On this weekend, as Jesus entered Jerusalem on a c**t, our brothers and sisters shared a warm meal together and left with full hearts and satisfied spirits.

Dinner on March 21, 2026--------------------“Someone is looking for you.” At the end of dinner, I heard these words. I w...
03/24/2026

Dinner on March 21, 2026--------------------
“Someone is looking for you.” At the end of dinner, I heard these words. I was exhausted at that moment and honestly did not want to see anyone. I almost replied, “Just tell them you can’t find me.”

Nevertheless, I went over and asked what I could do.

“My mother passed away two days ago. Will you pray for me?”

I hesitated for a few seconds, thinking this was something for a priest or a full-time minister. But there was no one else—only me. So I began to pray for him.

I prayed with all my heart—that God would lead his mother to a place with no tears or pain, grant her rest and peace, comfort those she left behind, and give him hope to see her again when we are called.

He wept deeply.

Although I am not particularly religious these days, I realized in that moment that if religion serves a purpose, it is to bring comfort to a grieving soul. Perhaps that is why I was there at that time, and that was what the Lord had done.

Dinner on March 14, 2026---------------------Another day filled with grace and love. As soon as we opened the doors, peo...
03/24/2026

Dinner on March 14, 2026---------------------
Another day filled with grace and love. As soon as we opened the doors, people began pouring in, and we quickly set up every available table to accommodate the crowd.

On this busy day, we found ourselves praying for the day when this ministry is no longer needed—when no one in our community needs us anymore, when no one is hungry or in need in this world of abundance.

Dinner on March 7, 2026--------------------We had more local high school students join us than members of our church’s y...
03/24/2026

Dinner on March 7, 2026--------------------
We had more local high school students join us than members of our church’s young adult group. These students served with genuine care and compassion, and their efforts were deeply appreciated by all.

Dinner on February 21 and 28, 2026----------------Sorry for the missing posting for February 21. I did not took photos. ...
03/24/2026

Dinner on February 21 and 28, 2026----------------
Sorry for the missing posting for February 21. I did not took photos. We still served as alwasy on February 21, and surely on 28.

Dinner on February 14, 2026-------------------------------Apologies for the belated post. Regardless of whether I post u...
03/24/2026

Dinner on February 14, 2026-------------------------------
Apologies for the belated post. Regardless of whether I post updates, we continue to serve our brothers and sisters in need every Saturday—rain or shine (or snow).

On this day, a group of high school students joined us, bringing goody bags and volunteering alongside our team. Our longtime friends also prepared dinner for the volunteers, and everyone enjoyed a warm and meaningful evening together.

Dinner on February 7, 2026--------------------“Who appointed me as your judge?”As I rush around serving food and cleanin...
02/08/2026

Dinner on February 7, 2026--------------------
“Who appointed me as your judge?”
As I rush around serving food and cleaning up, people keep coming up to me and talking. Most of what they bring to me is this: someone says they are constantly being harassed—not here, but somewhere else—and having come here, they report it to me. Someone else asks me to take their side in a dispute. Another insists that someone owes them money and keeps demanding repayment, while the other person denies that such a debt ever existed.

Spending nearly an hour dealing with these matters is utterly draining. In the midst of this, someone tells me that certain individuals are taking the food they received from us—food we prepare carefully so there will be enough for everyone, and which we even encourage people to take if there is any left at the end—and selling it to others who live on the streets.

That last issue was something I could not overlook. We had to restrict those identified from taking excessive amounts of food.

When one does this work for a long time, one would hope that love, trust, and compassion for people would deepen. Instead, I often find myself thinking, “Perhaps it is true after all—human beings really are sinners.” Kyrie eleison.

Dinner on January 31, 2026-------------------We typically have large turnouts on the last Saturday of the month, as many...
02/08/2026

Dinner on January 31, 2026-------------------
We typically have large turnouts on the last Saturday of the month, as many people have already used up their SNAP (food stamp) benefits and, in some cases, have gone days without enough food. However, due to this week’s snowstorm, we had a slightly smaller number of people at the table. Many of our brothers and sisters are elderly, sick, or physically weak, and some have mobility challenges. Navigating streets piled with snowbanks and covered in ice can be extremely difficult.

This same condition affected us as well. Because of the piled-up snowbanks, it was extremely challenging for me to bring in all the food we had purchased for the community. The snow blocked the roadside, making it impossible to park near the building. I had to park far away and walk a long distance, weaving around large snowbanks and carefully carrying food and supplies over icy, slippery paths into the building.

Still, I was deeply grateful to have my son—now a strong high school student—who was an enormous help. Experiencing these difficulties ourselves made us think even more about how much harder it must be for our brothers and sisters.

We hope and pray that all of them are safe, warm, dry, and sustained by the love of our God—the Parent of us all.

Dinner on January 24, 2026--------------------Sorry for the belated post. As always, we shared the table with our brothe...
02/08/2026

Dinner on January 24, 2026--------------------
Sorry for the belated post. As always, we shared the table with our brothers and sisters. Due to the ongoing cold spell, some of our older regulars have not been able to join us for a while, and we kept them in our prayers.

A group of Korean student visiting local institutions from Sookmyung Women's Univerisity joined us to serve during their busy scheduleand did a fantastic job.

Dinner on January 17, 2026-----------------From Saint John’s Gospel, which we read tonight, we learned that the Spirit d...
01/24/2026

Dinner on January 17, 2026-----------------
From Saint John’s Gospel, which we read tonight, we learned that the Spirit descended from heaven like a dove and remained on Jesus at his baptism. Later, Jesus called his first disciples.

Tonight, we did our best to live as Jesus’ disciples. As always, we served more than one hundred people with heart-warming dishes. A group of high school students brought over one hundred gift bags and distributed them to our brothers and sisters, and a few volunteers also checked blood pressure during dinner.

May these small acts of service be a faithful response to God’s call, and may they continue to remind us that we are all called to serve with love and compassion.

Dinner on January 10th, 2026--------------------When we conclude our dinner gatherings, we always pray this dismissal pr...
01/15/2026

Dinner on January 10th, 2026--------------------
When we conclude our dinner gatherings, we always pray this dismissal prayer:

May the Light of God surround you:
May the Love of God flow from you;
May the presence of God watch over you;
May the Power of God protect and bring you safely to the community!
Amen

I first started praying this because after our meal, we cannot offer this church space as a shelter where people can rest as long as they need and sometimes even sleep. It breaks my heart to send them out from this cozy, warm, dry place into the cold, wet (it was raining today), and even dangerous streets. But since there is nothing else we can do, I felt I had to at least pray.
As much as we can, we give rain ponchos, jackets, and other items as they leave. But beyond these things, I had to pray that God, the Parent of us all, would protect and care for them.
From time to time, I'm too busy or not in the right frame of mind to pray, and sometimes I miss offering this prayer even at closing time. When that happens, some of those who have finished eating and are sitting there come to me and ask me to pray. Some have told me, "Without your blessing, I don't have the courage to go outside. I can't leave without being blessed by you." Though I am not a priest or ordained minister, I cannot refuse their request, and with them heavy on my heart as they leave, I pray for them with my whole heart and might: "O God who watches over and protects us all, be with them, feed them, clothe them, and keep them safe, so that we may meet again in this place." Even with this prayer in my heart, I always feel heavy when I think of those who used to come regularly but haven't returned.

Dinner on January 3rd, 2026------------------------As we were preparing to begin our evening gathering, someone approach...
01/04/2026

Dinner on January 3rd, 2026------------------------
As we were preparing to begin our evening gathering, someone approached me and asked me to pray for Venezuela. He said he was glad that "the bad guy" was gone. I agreed that we needed prayer for the people caught in the situation we're facing, but I wasn't sure what to say in the prayer. People hold entirely different—even opposite—views depending on their political standpoint.

When I briefly searched various Christian denomination websites to gather my thoughts, I found that even they showed perhaps opposite prayers and stances from one another. So as we began our gathering, I said before our brothers and sisters:

"Some people, including many Venezuelan Christians, view the situation we're facing as the removal of a dictator and a victory in the name of Jesus Christ. Others, however, see it as yet another invasion by an imperial power. Even for the same event, how we see it often differs based on our personal beliefs and political stances. Nevertheless, we clearly know that the current situation is chaotic and volatile, and above all, that countless lives are in danger or about to change in an uncharted direction. So I say before all of you: whatever our thoughts and positions may be, let us set aside everything else for a moment to pray for the people in that situation. As we mark this Epiphany, the Lord's manifestation, I pray as Saint Francis prayed 800 years ago, that the Lord's peace may come to this earth..."

[Peace Prayer of Saint Francis followed]

Today, as we commemorate the Lord's Epiphany, we all set aside our reasons, excuses, and differences, and prayed that the Lord's peace may fill the world in this moment. May the Lord's peace be with you.

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35 Magazine Street
Cambridge, MA
02139

Opening Hours

5pm - 5pm

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