An open door, a full plate, no questions asked. It’s a simple, humble mission, but for everyone involved with the Free Lunch Program (FLP), from the diners to the directors, it is less about charity than collaboration, enriching the life of both server and guest. This is a truth strongly felt by Diane Platte, one […]
Iowa City Free Lunch Program
The org tables are the stars at CCAN-Con, a volunteering and activism fair taking over the Ped Mall Saturday
Corridor Community Action Network will host its second-ever CCAN-Con on Saturday at the Ped Mall. The convention, last held right before the onset of the COVID pandemic in 2020, is a community engagement and volunteer fair founded by CCAN Director Mandi Nichols. Local organizations will be tabling, as well as providing various workshops and training. […]
‘We serve people lunch, and it’s important, and it’s not super complicated’: Free Lunch Program approaches 40 years of service
It’s 10 a.m. on the second Wednesday of December at the Iowa City Free Lunch Program (FLP), and volunteers are entering the kitchen. Colleen Schilling pulls out bags of frozen mixed vegetables and cartons of vegetable broth. Gale Kolbet signs the data sheet while Mary Kelly carries more bags of groceries through the volunteer entrance. […]

