About the Author

Jo Vaughn Gross grew up on a farm in Central South Dakota. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of South Dakota and received a Master of Divinity and a Diploma in The Art of Spiritual Direction from the San Francisco Theological Seminary. She was the Founding Director of The Banquet, a feeding ministry to the poor and disadvantaged, in Sioux Falls, SD, where she lived and worked with her husband, Dr. H. Phil Gross, an orthopedic surgeon. She is published in the Journal of Pastoral Care and is the author of The Welcome Table, a primer outlining her method and intent of feeding the poor with dignity and respect. Jo now lives in San Rafael, CA, where she writes articles and essays for her friends and family.