Get Involved With Community Breakfast

Five days a week, we offer a hot, delicious meal to anyone who shows up.

Learn more about our Community Breakfasts and how you can get involved below:

Eat

We share breakfast every weekday (Monday-Friday) with anyone who wants to join. Coffee hour begins at 7:00 AM and the meal begins at 8:00 AM. We serve casseroles, grits, eggs, bacon and coffee in the Parish House. Our breakfast community includes workers on Ninth Street, students, unhoused people in West Durham and anyone else who wants to join us.

Each Wednesday morning, Fresh Start Durham brings a shower trailer to St. Joseph’s to provide free showers. Towels, soap, and shampoo are provided. St. Joe’s also keeps a community closet to provide fresh clothes and toiletries.

Volunteer

Breakfasts are staffed by volunteers from the community. One volunteer arrives around 6:30 to “open” and get the coffee going. Cooks come at 7 to heat casseroles, crack eggs, fry bacon, and stir grits. Other volunteers come around 8 to help serve food and clean up afterwards.

We always welcome new volunteers, and will be happy to show you the ropes. Email the Director of Breakfast Ministry, Gregor Levy at gregor@stjosephsdurham.org for more information, or come to breakfast and learn about volunteering in person.

Donate

It costs approximately $193 to host breakfast for one day. If you would like to support our breakfast ministry financially, donate here; mail a check to St. Joe’s 1902 West Main St. Durham, NC, 27705; or venmo @Stjosephsdurham.

Members of St. Joseph’s and other local congregations bake casseroles at home and bring them to the church. Other donations of breakfast foods (particularly bacon, eggs, cheese, and butter) are invited and appreciated. If you’d like to arrange for a donation delivery, learn more about casseroles or get some of our favorite recipes, email the Breakfast Minister at breakfast@stjosephsdurham.org.

In additional to financial contributions and food donations, we also welcome gifts of clothes to our community closet. Clothes donations can be dropped off between 7:00 am and 9:00 am Monday-Friday.

Community Partners

Breakfast is supported through generous donations from our Community and the following institutions:

St. Joe’s Community Breakfast by the Numbers 2025

Prepared for Annual Meeting of St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church, Durham, NC January 2026                      

Active Breakfast Volunteers ~ 82  

Pancakes cooked per day ~ 150

Casseroles baked, per day ~7                               

Eggs cracked, per day ~150

Coffee percolated, per day ~180 cups

Meals served at thrice-weekly Community Breakfasts in 2022 ~1,300

Meals served at thrice-weekly Community Breakfasts in 2023 ~4,800

Meals served at Community Breakfast in 2024 ~10,041

Meals served at Community Breakfast in 2025 ~ 15,600

New Congregation Partnerships in 2025 - 2

Members of the Community Breakfast Advisory Board -10

Largest number of attendees at a single Community Breakfast in 2023 - 53

Largest number of attendees at a single Community Breakfast in 2024 – 84

Largest number of attendees at a single Community Breakfast in 2025 -110

Faith Communities represented among Breakfast Volunteers 10+

Breakfast Ministers on Staff - 4                              Dishwashers operating in the kitchen - 2

60 cup commercial coffee urns - 3                     Volunteers who Reset the Parish Hall in July - 28

New mural in the dining room - 1                          New commercial griddle for pancakes - 1

New double door commercial refrigerator for the pantry - 1

Gallons of water held by the shower truck at St. Joe’s on Wednesday Mornings -180

Get Involved with Breakfast

Join our community

Stop by and have a cup of coffee from 7:00- 8:00 am, and grab a plate at 8:00 am.

Chat with our neighbors, meet our volunteers, and, enjoy some grits! 

Volunteer

We’re always looking for new volunteers to come either at 7:00 am to cook or 8:30 am to help clean. 

An extra set of hands is always appreciated!

Make Casseroles

Bake a breakfast casserole (or four) and drop them off during breakfast or on Sunday.

We appreciate variety and will reimburse you for ingredients!