Past President of the Board Tony Ojeda.
Tony Ojeda served on the Board of Directors of Matt Talbot for nine years, and as President of the Board for two years. He also co-chaired the “Witness to Hope” campaign which raised the necessary funds to move from our former building on 19th & R Streets to our existing facility on North 27th Street. Tony wasn’t able to attend our 25th Birthday Party Celebration on September 6th due to a prior commitment. We missed him at the party, but are grateful for his service and this wonderful note.
“I feel a great sense of sadness that I will not be able to attend the 25th Anniversary Celebration for Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach. I first started serving meals on a volunteer team in the fall of 1995. We only served a few times a year as we had the fifth Saturday of the month, which does not happen every month.
I was honored to serve on the Board for nine years and as the President of the Board for two years. I was also privileged with the honor of Co-Chairing the Witness of Hope fundraising effort with Pat Lundak. We were blessed to raise the money to move into the existing building. It was a challenging time to serve as President, but we always had Susie Blue to remind us that we were keeping hope alive.
There are times I miss the old building as there was a real nostalgia to it. It was also where the mission of Mary and Ruth was started. I do love the new building and love that an expansion is already happening. My mission as I served on the Board is to end homelessness in Lincoln. Now, I always knew that this will likely never happen, but the outreach services that have been added under Susie Blue over the last eighteen years have been vital in trying to accomplish this goal.
I always enjoyed visiting with the guests of MTK&O. Listening to their stories could be both sad and at the same time very uplifting. I enjoyed working with the staff who were so dedicated to the mission and to the guests. I was blessed to serve with many outstanding people who served on the Board of Directors with me. I also enjoyed spending time with the countless volunteers and benefactors.
At the time of the Witness to Hope fundraising campaign and the building project I had been very involved in politics. Many in Lincoln would have considered me a very conservative politician. In the Witness to Hope Campaign I had the pleasure of working with David Landis, who many may have considered one of the most liberal politicians in Lincoln. That is the beauty of Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach. In our country there is a lot of division and hopelessness. But at Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach the community comes together regardless of religion, creed, race, or political persuasion to provide a great witness to hope.”
- Tony Ojeda
