The Lord's Table

When one of the original coordinators died in 1995, Abe stepped up to make sure the program kept going. "I never dreamt that I would do such a thing," she said.

Over the years she's earned citations from then-Seattle Mayor Paul Schell, a "Hero of the Homeless" award from Operation Nightwatch, and was named one of the Northwest's 25 most beautiful people by KING/5's "Evening Magazine" show in 2003. But more cherished are the notes and cards of thanks from formerly homeless people she's helped, the people who call her "Mama."

"It's worth it all just to get even one of these," she says, holding a card that came with a $5 donation from someone she helped feed more than two years ago.

When she assumed responsibilities for coordinating the feeding program, Abe named it The Lord's Table. With the help of 24 different groups -- mostly churches -- she helped feed more than 300 people a night, four nights a week until the city shut down the program last August, citing security concerns.

The mayor's office threatened to ticket anyone who tried to feed the homeless in City Hall Park after 4 p.m.

That closure didn't last long, because of an enormous public outcry, and The Lord's Table was back in operation a few days later at the old Public Safety Building. But in January, demolition of the building forced the program out once again.

Negotiations are under way to reopen soon at Seattle's First Presbyterian Church. Until then, a corner of Abe's dining room is filled with enormous unused rice cookers and giant coffee pots.

It's not the first time bureaucracy and fear have worked against Abe. During World War II, like thousands of other Japanese Americans, she and her family were sent to the Minidoka internment camp in Idaho. After the war, they were forced to live in a shelter until federal housing opened in the Renton Highlands. "Nobody wanted us next door to them," she says.

But Abe refuses to let bitterness over the treatment of her family taint her outlook or test her faith. "Just because you're a believer doesn't mean life is going to be a bed of roses," she says.

Still, today Abe says her life is filled with such abundance she feels compelled to share it. "God has never shortchanged us," she says. So she uses her Social Security check each month to buy the margarine, condiments, paper goods and other sundries that are crucial to serving food to the hungry -- along with some of the food.

The Lord even helps her out with that, she says. "He always provides the best bargains when I need them."

A hallmark of Abe's work is that she treats everyone with dignity and respect, insisting on serving a hot entrée, two salads, two vegetables, dessert, bread and beverage.

Volunteer Stephen Finley says Abe makes sure the meals aren't second-rate.

"One night I was serving on burrito night, and she made homemade fresh guacamole," he said. "Now, if you were going over to a friend's house to dinner and they were serving burritos and they didn't serve guacamole, you would notice it. But in a program like this, no one would say anything. But she still did it."

And though her faith permeates everything she does, Eidigh-Kumm says Abe doesn't force it on anyone or make judgments. He describes himself as a gay ex-con, but Abe has never hinted that he is anything but valued and loved.

Abe seems shocked at the notion that she might treat anyone differently because of their religious beliefs, sexuality or even criminal record. "None of us is perfect," she says. "Jesus died for all of us regardless."

The Lord's Table dinner

Served every Tuesday night, starting at 8:30pm. Outside patio area of the First Presbyterian Church of Seattle, 1013 Eighth Avenue, near where Madison Avenue crosses Interstate 5.
Verified 8/05

Hero 2004

Kay Abe, the Lord's Table Ministry

Kay Abe has fed the homeless since 1991. With total reliance on God's provision, she leads groups in preparing and serving a hot meal outdoors downtown, rain or shine, four nights a week. Her humble spirit, giving heart and commitment to the hungry have inspired hundreds of others to join in service to the needy. Those she serves have come to call her "Mama" out of appreciation for her nurture of body and spirit. Kay named her meal program "The Lord's Table," in recognition of her source of strength and supply. Humbly, she directs all glory to God.