Trident United Way and Transformation Table are pleased to announce a new partnership supporting Transformation Table Lowcountry’s 2024 monthly home-based dinner series, beginning this month.
In April 2016, Transformation Table Founder and Curator, Tina L. Singleton moved to Charleston one year after the mass shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church. During the memorial service at the Gaillard Center commemorating the tragedy, Dr. Bernice A. King, daughter of MLK Jr., challenged the Charleston community to fight hate by making meaningful efforts to understand and love one another. She said if Charleston was serious about change, we need to “get intimate. Go to each other’s homes. Have dinner!”
“Transformation Table is the response to that challenge,” said Singleton.
In November 2016, over a meal comprised of family recipes prepared by Vietnamese Chef Janice Nguyen, Singleton tested the concept of bringing 10 strangers together to share a meal at the home of Ashley and Kendrick Vaughns in West Ashley. She came away with a model that allows community members to identify common points of connection through sharing stories and life experiences.
Since that first gathering, Transformation Table has hosted over 700 community members at home-based dinners and community events in the Lowcountry, featuring the cuisines and food stories of 26 global chefs from 21 countries, including Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Trinida
After meeting Singleton earlier this year at Transformation Table Lowcountry’s MLK Beloved Community Dinner at the International African American Museum, Trident United Way President & CEO D.J. Hampton was eager to support Transformation Table’s goal of creating lasting change in the Tri-County community, a mission shared by Trident United Way.
Through this newly formed partnership, Trident United Way will provide financial support for Transformation Table’s 2024 home-based dinners. These funds provide Transformation Table the ability to maintain their commitment to Making Room at the Table: Equitable Access for All payment model, which allows anyone in the community to attend a dinner regardless of income, physical ability, or mode of communication. This also allows Transformation Table to focus on long-term sustainability and expanding to additional communities outside the state.
“Transformation Table shares our goal of creating a rich, diverse, equitable table where everyone has a seat,” Hampton said. “We are excited to work together, because we know that when we are UNITED, we all thrive.”
“We look forward to a long and constructive collaboration,” said Singleton. “We are truly grateful and humbled to Trident United Way for their support.”
To learn more about Transformation Table, get involved or attend an upcoming dinner, go to transformationtable.org, follow them on Facebook and Instagram, or sign up for their newsletters.
