Mission Moment: The Healing Power of Food and Friendship

By day, the big space on the fourth floor of Shepherd Center is a gym, where therapists motivate their patients to work toward recovery. But on Tuesday nights, the room morphs into a banquet hall for more than 100 guests. Dozens of groups, from baseball teams to religious congregations, take turns donating and serving meals, giving patients and their families a chance to mingle without worrying about where, when, or what to eat.

On this Tuesday night, the menu is lasagna, chicken marsala, and other Italian favorites dished up by business leaders in the Atlanta Kiwanis Club. Music blends into chatter as hungry patients and their families reconnect with friends and begin to form new friendships. 

Shepherd’s Tuesday Night Family Dinner “is one of the highlights of my week,” says Lynda Tuesca, attending with her son, Ben, who was injured in a car crash. “We’re all happier when we’re sitting around a dinner table. You hear what brought everybody here, then you know them when you see them in the halls and elevators.” After the meal, there are icebreaker questions, followed by games such as trivia and bingo. Tonight’s question is, “If you could be on a TV game show, which one would you choose?” FBI agent Michael Hynes, who is at Shepherd for rehabilitation for a spinal cord injury, cracks up the room with his answer, “The Bachelor.”

Anna Elmers, M.D., started the weekly dinners in 2016 with Renee Houle, a grateful former Shepherd patient. At first, Dr. Elmers and Renee cooked and served the dinners themselves, with the help of their families and friends. “It was a way to create community among my patients, so they knew they weren’t alone in their catastrophic injuries,” says Dr. Elmers, who stepped back from full-time work at Shepherd in 2023. Sometimes people stayed to talk long after dishes had been cleared, she says. 

The dinners were suspended during the COVID epidemic, but they came back bigger than ever under the leadership of Jennifer Heffron, engagement coordinator for Shepherd Center Foundation. Jennifer, a neighbor of Dr. Elmers, had helped with the dinners as a volunteer. “They’re a lot of fun,” Jennifer says. “We get so many repeat sponsors and volunteers because everybody loves them.”

Inpatients, outpatients, even former patients are welcome. Matthew Ryan walks down from the SHARE Military Initiative on Peachtree Park Drive, where he is a client at SHARE, every Tuesday. “A lot of times we’re off in our rooms just doing our own thing,” he says. “These dinners give us a chance to fellowship together. A lot of people can’t afford to go out to dinner because their finances are tied up in recovery.” 

Matthew says he has brought several of his fellow SHARE clients to the dinners. “The dinners are just like your family away from home,” he says. “They keep you sane and keep your spirits up.” And, he adds with a grin, “the desserts are always good.”

Written by Gayle White

This story is an excerpt from “Mission Moments: 50 Years of Rebuilding Lives One Moment at a Time,” a book celebrating Shepherd’s 50th anniversary in 2025. You can explore the full eBook or purchase a hardcover copy here.