About Open Table KC
Each Tuesday, Open Table KC gathers to serve our community with warmth and purpose. We provide a space where everyone is welcome, focusing on immediate food needs through nutritious collaborative meals and essential resource distribution. Our mission is to bridge the gap for those facing food insecurity in Kansas City with dignity and care.
8+
Years
100% Volunteer Led
12,000+ Meals
of serving our community every Tuesday, rain or shine
and powered by community generosity
served while building friendships and restoring hope
About The Founder
Tammy Harmon Raper
Some people serve. Some people lead. Tammy Raper does both with heart, humility, and unwavering compassion.
Long before Open Table KC became what it is today, Tammy was already showing up for neighbors at Winner Park. She served through cold nights and snowstorms, delivered winter supplies, brought warm meals into camps in “Big Bertha,” and built the trusted relationships that would become the foundation of a mission rooted in dignity, belonging, and community care.
Tammy does not just meet needs. She meets people.
She has spent hours sitting with neighbors in emergency rooms, cooked countless meals for community partners, and created a space where volunteers feel welcomed, valued, and inspired to serve. Her home often smells like a kitchen full of purpose, because for Tammy, feeding others is more than a task. It is an expression of love.
Her leadership is steady, compassionate, and deeply personal. She notices the small things. She responds with kindness. She brings warmth, humor, and calm into difficult moments. Most importantly, she has helped build a culture where dignity comes first and judgment has no place.
When someone once asked if she ever gets tired of doing this week after week, Tammy’s answer was simple: “No.”
That quiet dedication is the heartbeat of Open Table KC.
Nourishing Neighbors: Open Table KC
Every Tuesday, we gather to bridge the gap in food security for our community. Open Table KC provides hot meals, essential groceries, and a supportive environment for those navigating housing and food insecurity.