Thank you for joining us at the table!
October 9, 2025 • grand ballroom • Fairmont copley plaza • 138 St James Ave, Boston, MA 02116
We are thrilled to share incredible news! This year’s Spaghetti Dinner, with sold-out attendance, raised over $725,000 — the highest total in our 43-year history. This outpouring of generosity is advancing our Housing & Stabilization program and sustainining our day-to-day operations, both of which are increasingly vital. You can experience the energy and joy of the evening in our event photo gallery.
The spirit of Spaghetti Dinner was palpable in the voices of WLP community members, Inna and Theresa, whose compelling speeches, quoted below, reflected the compassion, courage, and connection that make this organization extraordinary.
Together, we have generated remarkable momentum, which will allow us to continue transforming women’s lives and expanding access to opportunity. While we celebrate this milestone, our work is far from done, and the future holds even greater promise.
We are deeply proud of and profoundly grateful for your partnership. Thank you for standing with us — together, we will continue creating pathways to safety, stability, and hope.
“Food is care. Food is comfort. Food is dignity. And here, food is also a promise––that you are not alone, that you are cared for. No matter who you are or where you come from, at Women’s Lunch Place, you always deserve a seat at the table.”
– Inna Khitrik, Executive Chef
"Women’s Lunch Place transforms isolation into connection, despair into hope, and survival into leadership. I’m living proof of that. Your support ensures that more women can claim their seat and discover the strength and resilience that’s been inside them all along. Because when women are lifted, we don’t just change one life. We change generations."
– Theresa Rolley, Recovery & Empowerment Group Leader
Featured Speakers:
Inna Khitrik, Executive Chef at Women’s Lunch Place, is a celebrated restaurateur now known for transforming hunger relief into a source of nourishment, community, and dignity.
Born in Belarus, Inna immigrated to the U.S. in 1990 and began working as a chef, co-founding a deli in Brookline serving as head chef for Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly. In 2011, Inna and her son Alex Khitrik founded Inna’s Kitchen, known for its globally inspired soups, salads, and Jewish specialties.
In late 2022, Inna made a bold career shift. She brought her culinary expertise and compassionate leadership to Women’s Lunch Place, where she now designs menus and leads a team that prepares 165,000 meals annually, serving more than 2,300 unhoused women with scratch-made, nutrient-rich breakfasts, lunches, and takeaway dinners.
Under her stewardship, the WLP kitchen has broken Healthy Meals records while emphasizing health, warmth, and cultural resonance. Inna's menus evolve with seasonal and donated produce—think Mediterranean soups, shakshuka, steamed fish with fresh herbs, and innovative desserts like zucchini brownies and avocado chocolate mousse—all aiming to uplift and sustain both body and spirit. Inna’s leadership style is rooted in empathy, creativity, and deep connection—infusing not just ingredients, but also shared humanity, into every meal.
Theresa Rolley is a sought-after public speaker and influential champion for responding to women experiencing trauma or addiction in a way that centers respect, empathy, and empowerment. Her perspective is informed by both personal lived experience and professional expertise, including holding a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Master’s in Organizational Leadership.
As a Wellness and Recovery Advocate Supervisor, Theresa teaches local audiences about Addiction Medicine and Social Determinants of Health. She is involved in the LEAP Academic Research Training Program of Boston Medical Center, where she contributes to peer-reviewed publications and projects. In recognition of her collaboration with medical fellows at BMC, she was recently honored as a “Be Exceptional” award recipient.
Prior to her work in the recovery field, Theresa served as director of a program serving women and children exiting sex exploitation and trafficking in Boston. In this role, she worked alongside the Plymouth County Human Trafficking Task Force to develop and upgrade policies and build a more coordinated and effective response to victims of crime.
Theresa has had a particularly powerful impact on guests at Women’s Lunch Place. Every week, her transformative, trauma-informed empowerment groups fill to capacity. Theresa offers our guests not only guidance, but liberation—providing effective tools and a sense of community as they navigate their own paths to healing.
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:
Advocate for Opportunity
Jill Greenthal & Thomas Eisenmann
Partners in Care
Mary & Brian Carty
Michele & Howard Kessler
MFS Investment Management
The New England Patriots Foundation
Friends at The Table
Kathryn & Alexander Golden
Sanofi
Derri Shtasel & Gary Gottlieb
Genean Stec & Patrick Lee
TJX Companies
Community Builders
Boston Sand & Gravel
Debra & William Bulkeley
Coldwell Banker Realty Cares Foundation
The Depper Goldstein Family
Larry & Atsuko Fish
Lena & Ronald Goldberg
Eileen Hsü-Balzer
The McGee Family
New England Development
Mariann & Andy Youniss
Guest Supporters
Brookline Bank
Eastern Bank
Janine Danielson
Donna & Steve Fessler
Gordon Brothers
Saint Cecilia Parish
State Street
Photos from spaghetti dinner 2025:
