The Evening Meal

     Dinner is the centerpiece of our day. At the Dismas table, residents, staff, and volunteers from the community come together as equals. Dinner is the time when barriers are reduced and fears are replaced by concern as volunteers and students come to know former prisoners in this family setting.

     This process helps former prisoners develop social skills that may have never been developed or were lost while in prison.

     All residents are expected to work or go to school. They must pay program fees, help with house chores, attend a weekly house meeting, and participate in evening meals.

     Volunteers from the community contribute in many ways. From cooking dinner and repairing the house to supporting and advising residents and staff, volunteer involvement is the foundation of the Dismas community.

     House staff, hired by the local Board of Directors, is made up of co-directors. Their duties include interviewing prospective residents, supporting former prisoners, overseeing the nightly dinners, coordination volunteers, collecting program fees and fundraising.

"What keeps me at Dismas House is the continual process of working out problems through group consensus, rather than yelling and fighting."

Chris Trapeni