Club 131 supporting Café 131

Welcome to The Club, we're glad you're here! 

About ten years ago, Gainesville resident and homeless advocate Pat Fitzpatrick rallied local residents in convincing the city to overturn a policy limiting soup kitchens to serving only 130 meals per day. The dining room is named Cafe 131 to honor Pat's legacy and advocacy work to help erase the 130-meal limit from Gainesville's books.

As a member of Club 131, you belong to a group of dedicated people, just like Pat, who believe everyone deserves a warm meal. Members of Club 131 provide crucial funding for the operation of Cafe 131 through annual, quarterly, or monthly donations in addition to giving the gift of time by serving a meal.

Would you like to set up a fundraising page to raise money without serving a meal, or do you have questions about becoming a member of Club 131? Contact John Thomas, Director of Advancement at 352-792-0800x131 or email [email protected] 

Serve a Meal!

We are excited to welcome Club 131 members back to our campus - we've missed you all!

The dedicated staff, guests, and volunteers at GRACE have served over 876,250+ meals since 2014, but we need your help to keep it going. Our most critical need at GRACE is for volunteer groups to prepare and serve dinner in Café 131.

You will be guided by one of our enthusiastic Café 131 staff members from start to finish. The Café 131 facility is stocked with commercial appliances and plenty of room for up to 7 volunteers to pitch in.

Time Commitment

Serving meals at GRACE is a great opportunity for groups to directly help people in need in our community. We ask that you arrive 30 minutes before the meal service begins. For example, dinner starts at 5:30, so you're expected to arrive at 5:00pm, with dinner service wrapping up at 6:45pm.

Here are the meal service times:

NOTE: We are currently accepting sign-ups for Lunch and Dinner services. Volunteer groups may come Wednesdays and Thursdays to serve meals, while Fridays will be reserved for individuals. 

Sign Up

Sign-ups to serve a meal for lunch and dinner are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Sign-ups can be booked 90 days in advance! Children over the age of 14 are welcome to help, but each minor must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Minors must not make up more than half of any group.

If you do not have your COVID-19 vaccinations, you will need to take a COVID-19 test upon arrival to serve a meal in our cafe. Masks must be worn at all times. 

To serve as a group, click here to sign up. To serve as an individual, click here to sign up!

Click here for the Club 131 flyer!