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Ģ����Ƶ University Zanesville recently announced Christ’s Table as the 2025 recipient of the Outstanding Community Partner Award. This honor recognizes community partners engaged in exemplary collaborative work with Ģ����Ƶ University’s Center for Community Impact that fosters resilient communities and life-long engaged citizens.

Partnerships recognized through this award may include community-engaged research, curricular or co-curricular engagement, special projects, or other mutually beneficial initiatives that enrich teaching, learning and scholarship while addressing critical societal issues and contributing to the public good. 

Christ’s Table, led by executive director Keely Warden, has been serving the Muskingum County community for nearly four decades with its mission: “To Feed the Hungry Children of God.” Seeing a critical need for a hot meal program in the mid-1980s, St. John’s Lutheran Church began serving free lunches in its basement in 1986.

From those beginnings, Christ’s Table was formed as a nonprofit organization, and by 1991 the demand for services had grown so much that the group purchased its current building to better meet community needs. Since then, Christ’s Table has continued to grow, thanks to the support of the wider community and the dedication of its employees and volunteers, who work hand in hand to prepare and serve hot, nutritious meals to anyone in need.

Today, Christ’s Table provides free meals every Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., as well as on the second Sunday of each month from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and the third Sunday of each month from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. This steadfast service has made the organization a cornerstone of compassion in Muskingum County, turning convictions into action and creating a welcoming environment where every guest is treated with dignity and respect.

For the past three years, Christ’s Table has also been a key partner for Ģ����Ƶ University Zanesville’s Social Work program, serving as a weekly site for service-learning. More than 50 social work students have gained hands-on experience at Christ’s Table, preparing and serving meals while engaging directly with guests. This transformational partnership has helped students apply classroom learning to real-world challenges while deepening their empathy, cultural humility and professional skills.

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“Working with OHIO Zanesville’s social work students here at Christ’s Table has been a true privilege. Social work isn’t something you learn from a textbook alone — it’s about learning real life and learning to work with real people. That’s exactly what we offer at our little 'soup kitchen for the OHIO Zanesville students,” said Warden. “To be recognized with this amazing award for simply doing what we believe is right was both a delightful surprise and a deeply humbling moment for all of us. We love working with these students — they bring energy, compassion, and a willingness to serve to our mission. Knowing we’re helping shape future social workers who will go on to create lasting change in our community is not only rewarding — it’s the right thing to do.  We look forward to continuing this partnership for years to come.”

The nomination for this award was submitted by Leah Vensil, assistant professor of instruction in social work at OHIO Zanesville, who emphasized the partnership’s depth, reciprocity and impact on both students and the community.

"Our students leave Christ’s Table with more than service hours; they leave with perspective, compassion, and a deeper understanding of food insecurity,” Vensil adds. “We are grateful for Christ’s Table’s openness in welcoming our students and guiding them to become stronger leaders and advocates."

The award will be presented during the Awards Ceremony and Plenary session on Thursday, Oct. 23, from 6–8 p.m. at the Athens Armory, as part of the Engage OHIO Community and Place-Based Engagement Symposium. Christ’s Table, along with other honorees, will also receive a financial contribution from the Beth K. Stocker Fund in support of their mission.

The Outstanding Community Partner Award is open to 501(c)(3) organizations or public agencies in good standing with a demonstrated history of collaboration with Ģ����Ƶ University. Partnerships must result in meaningful outcomes for the community while also supporting student learning, faculty teaching or research, and university priorities. Nominations are accepted annually from each OHIO campus community, with recipients recognized at the Community Engagement Symposium each fall.

“The Ģ����Ƶ University Outstanding Community Partner Awards celebrate the essential role our partners play in preparing students to be impactful citizens and professionals. By opening doors for our social work students to learn in a real-world context, Keely’s work with Christ’s Table provides critical experiential learning opportunities that expand upon what can be learned inside a classroom,” said Courtney Lefebvre, associate director for the Center for Community Impact. “Her commitment to our students’ growth and to the well-being of the community reflects the very best of what this award is meant to honor. We are deeply grateful for her partnership and the ways she helps us shape the next generation of compassionate social workers.” 

To learn more about Ģ����Ƶ University’s Center for Community Impact, visit ohio.edu/community-impact. 

This recognition highlights not only Christ’s Table’s impact in the community but also the power of community-university partnerships to create lasting change.