Open Door Café – Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist

The Open Door Cafe

Meal Program

Open Door Café serves lunch Sunday through Friday from 11:15 am to 12:45 pm. Sunday we have cold lunch only; Monday through Friday we have hot lunch or cold lunch options. Clients are welcome to sit in the dining room for a reasonable amount of time to consume their lunch. Hot meals are prepared in-house by our Head Cook.

About the Open Door Cafe

It is said that when God closes a door, God always opens a window. But at the Open Door Café, we don't believe that God is a door closer.

We believe in a God of goodness without limits. A God who loves without condition or end. A God who pours out love. A God who opens countless windows and doors, all the time.

Nevertheless, doors close. Eviction notices are posted. Pink slips are given. Divorce papers are signed. Diagnoses are handed over. Loved ones die. All of these are closed doors that lead to people experiencing poverty, homelessness and hunger.

The Open Door Café witnesses God's boundless love, opening doors each day:

in the hundreds of individual volunteers who nurture a warm environment for our hot lunch, bag lunch and hygiene kit distribution
by our donors who give generously to keep us cooking
through the dedication of our mission-focused Core Volunteers and staff
for the support of hunger fighters like Hunger Task Force, who provide FREE food and funding and Feeding America who provide affordable shopping options to keep our menus interesting and nutritious
in the courage of our guests to enter the Open Door Café after doors have been closed on them

We invite you to join us - to share a meal, to serve, to donate, to be God's love in our world today!

To volunteer at the Café, please email Kate Shay: kshay@stjohncathedral.org

If you are unable to email her, you may call 414/276-9814, ext. 110.

Support the Open Door Cafe

You can donate to the Open Door Cafe online by clicking on the "Donate to the Open Door Cafe" button on this page or you can mail a donation to the Cathedral at 831 N. Van Buren Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202. Checks should be made out to the Cathedral of St. John with ODC in the memo line.

Donate to the Open Door Cafe

Our Partners in Ministry

Open Door Café is generously funded by the following foundations:

AT&T Foundation
A.W. Asmuth Family Fund at the Greater Milwaukee Foundation
Bader Philanthropies – Helen Daniels Bader Fund
Catholic Community Foundation
First Midwest Bank Foundation
Green Bay Packer Foundation
Merkel Foundation
Hunger Task Force

About Hunger Task Force Operations:

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) is a federal funded food program, administered through the State of Wi Dept. of Health Services, the Open Door Café is a recipient of TEFAP Foods in Partnership with Hunger Task Force.

USDA's Non Discrimination Statement

Standard/Full Civil Rights Statement

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

(1)mail:U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

(2)fax:(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

(3)email:program.intake@usda.govThis institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Open Door Café Non-Discrimination Statement