Lutheran Community Food Ministry

All you need to do is arrive at our 4th Street side entrance any Monday through Friday between 10:30 and 11:30 am.  Look for the heavy red doors with a large LCFM sign over them.

Redeemer, the church that houses the LCFM, is located at the corner of Peachtree Street and 4th Street. It is accessible by MARTA Bus and MARTA Train. The closest train station is North Avenue.

There are no requirements to satisfy to eat lunch at the LCFM, and you can come for as long as you need.

Everyone is welcome regardless of their faith tradition (including no faith), race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, or background. God’s love for you is unconditional!

We just ask that you refrain from abusive language or fighting while you are having lunch with us.

We look forward to serving you soon!

No, the LCFM does not maintain a food pantry.

The LCFM does not have the space for a permanent clothing closet. From time to time, however, we receive donations of clothing items like socks, t-shirts, and winter coats. We distribute those items when we have enough to share.

Most of the food served by the LCFM is donated to us through our partnership with  Second Helpings Atlanta a nonprofit that rescues unused food from stores, events and business dining rooms around the city.  For example, the LCFM receives regular donations from Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Coca-Cola, Hello Fresh, Publix and other area locations.

The LCFM receives funding provided in part by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of the Department of Community Development CSP Program.

We also receive funding from other churches and individual donors, all of which are essentional to our mission.

Volunteers play a vital role in many aspects of the LCFM. There’s no requirement to be a Redeemer member to volunteer.  Indeed, some of our most faithful volunteers are not members.

Traditionally, someone interested in working in the kitchen would join a monthly serving team.  Each weekday of the month has a different serving team. For example, you might agree to serve on the “Third Friday” team, and you would volunteer on the third Friday of every month.  If you aren’t able to serve every month, you can be a substitute and fill in when there is a cancellation that suits your schedule.

The volunteer shift begins at 9:00 am.  From 9:00 – 10:30 am, volunteers help prepare the meal.  At 10:30 am, our neighbors arrive, and we serve them their meal from the counter.  The LCFM closes its doors at 11:30 am, and volunteers are free to leave. The kitchen staff handles the clean-up duties.

Several Metro Atlanta Lutheran churches have monthly serving teams.  Some have been coming for almost 40 years.  We are named the Lutheran Community Food Ministry because we wouldn’t be able to staff the operations without our partner churches in the Atlanta community.

Please email our Volunteer Coordinator at lcfm@redeemer.org if you are interested in volunteering with us.  We look forward to having you on the team.

Unfortunately we cannot accommodate walk-in volunteers.

LCFM Amazon Wish List contains a list of items we need for our meals and other items we need to help those who dine with us.

If you select “Gift Options” when making a purchase, Amazon will send a free gift note in your package that will allow Redeemer to properly acknowledge your donation.

Donate to the Lutheran Community Food Ministry to support our Mission to ensure “All Are Fed!”

Established in 1982, the LCFM has served over two million meals with the help of volunteers from 60 Metro Atlanta churches, businesses, organizations, and schools.

In January 1982, Redeemer was asked by St Luke Episcopal Church if we would serve as an overflow warming location for members of the homeless population who they were serving. Redeemer members soon volunteered in Zittrouer Hall, serving our guests pimento cheese sandwiches and coffee. The Social Ministry (now called Community Engagement) recommended a one-month pilot program for 50 guests, which Congregation Council approved. Redeemer is now over 450 months into the pilot program we call the Lutheran Community Food Ministry.

Over four decades of service, almost every Lutheran church in Metro Atlanta has been involved with the LCFM. Several churches have sent volunteers every month for our entire history. The LCFM values our relationships with our partner churches as their members make up a large segment of our monthly volunteers.

Traditionally, the LCFM focused on providing a hot lunch each weekday to our unsheltered neighbors in need. In the last several years, we have expanded our ministry to include a “Market Day” with donated groceries from the Midtown Atlanta Whole Foods for our senior neighbors next door at Lutheran Towers. During the COVID-19 crisis, we have begun delivering 50 meals per day to Lutheran Towers. Additionally, the LCFM provides donated groceries to the Students’ Temporary Assistance and Resources (STAR) Services  at Georgia Tech.

Email your question to lcfm@redeemer.org