- Our Story -
In April 2008 Molly McKeown was walking in the Village of Carlsbad
to a friend’s house. During the course of her walk she was approached
by several homeless asking for a meal or money to buy food. Having
nothing to give them, Molly continued on her walk. All of a sudden her
eyes were opened to the needs of the homeless in the community.
She had never noticed them before; a group sitting at the fountain, a
man sleeping at the Coaster station, a woman walking her bike down the
sea wall. Distressed by the number of people who approached her and
heart broken that she had nothing to give them Molly started to
contemplate what she could do. What did she possibly have to give?
That’s when she thought the simple idea, “I have a kitchen, I can
cook.” She offered the idea to her sister Morgan who supported it and
saw it as an opportunity to get people involved in the community.
Morgan jumped at the chance to do something tangible. The two sister’s
endeavor started as sack dinners and has now grown into a two city
operation offering friendship and a warm meal to upwards of 200 people
a week.
Check out our Fill-a-Belly video for more information on how we got started!
- Values -
Relationship - Every person wants to be known by
someone else, to know that they are cared about and not invisible or
worthless. At Fill a Belly everyone eats together, volunteers and
guests alike. We build relationships through sharing a meal, playing
games and talking with
each other.
Good Food - Fill-a-Belly focuses on creating healthy
and balanced meals using fresh and delicious ingredients. All of our
meals are cooked with pride never using food that has expired or is not
of the best quality. We focus on flavor and stand by the rule, "if we
won't eat it, we won't serve it."
Empowerment not Dependence – Fill a Belly allows its
guests to help with the behind the scenes work such as preparation,
cooking, serving, cleaning etc. We want our guests to feel a sense of
ownership over the evening and engage themselves in whatever way they
are comfortable.
Fulfilled Life - Fill-a-Belly's ultimate goal is to
encourage wholeness and life lived to the fullest for every human being.
- Homeless or Travelers – We refer to those we serve as our guests
- Anyone from the community who needs a hot meal and some companionship.
- Low income families.
- People with mental illnesses.
- People with addictions.
- Each other.
- Who We Serve -
Our goal is to break down the "buffet line barrier" between volunteers and guests often found in homeless outreaches.
- Molly McKeown – Founder
- Morgan McKeown – Founder
- Tegan Coleman – Facilitator Encinitas