Kitchen & Dining Room Grand Opening

The following is an excerpt from the Register Guard’s story on the grand opening of our kitchen and dining room:

When rags soaked in cooking oil burst into flames at the Eugene Mission last summer, the ensuing fire gutted the kitchen and sent the organization scrambling to find ways to continue providing 800 meals a day to Eugene’s homeless population.

But Eugene Mission executive director Jack Tripp now considers the fire a blessing in disguise that enabled him and other staff members to see their community rally in support of the mission and the people it serves.

“It has been an outpouring of love,” Tripp said. “If everyone could see what I’ve seen, they would feel so blessed to be living in a community like this one.”

The remodeled kitchen re-opened during the holiday season to serve meals to its regular visitors, but Eugene Mission personnel thanked the community Saturday for its generous donations of money, services, equipment and food with an open house. Nearly 500 people attended the event to tour the upgraded kitchen and meet with Eugene Mission staff.

You can find the full Register Guard story and pictures of the event here!