A Tribute to Dorothy Smith Mullen from The Board of Trustees of The Suppers Programs

Trying to describe Dor’s impact on us to the Suppers community, Dor’s friends and family, and even those who never met her, is daunting. We can start with this fact: We are deeply saddened to have lost Dor’s light and energy.

Dor led her life with a passion and purpose that was visible and palpable to all who encountered her. Ideas and enthusiasm seemed to flow from her whether she was seated at a community table of people learning about eating for health, leading a fermentation or knife skills workshop, or sharing her joy and knowledge of gardening.

It was that same passion, purpose, and infectious energetic approach that drew most of us to serve on the Board. We either personally experienced "The Logical Miracle" or we heard stories of the changed lives around a Suppers table. Either way, we saw the importance of spreading this knowledge as far as we could.

The story of The Suppers Programs began with Dor’s tenacious pursuit of her own physical and mental healing. She was a pioneer -- advocating that people try their own experiments with food to find what worked for them, as she herself did, years before the mainstream medical community. The phrases How You Feel Is Data® and Nutritional Harm Reduction® were copyrighted as a result of these concepts.

Dor’s search for solutions to her own health problems led her to obtain a Master’s degree in counseling; establish Suppers for Sobriety; and publish two books of stories and recipes foundational to Suppers -- Logical Miracles. Upon the realization that so many us are suffering from addiction to the processed food supply, Dor founded The Suppers Programs.

Dorothy’s belief that making connections and establishing relationships within the local community and beyond was paramount. She collaborated with mainstream and alternative health practitioners along with farmers, chefs, restauranteurs, and community organizations all who are an integral part of the current Suppers Programs Ecosystem.

For over a decade, and for a while even after she was diagnosed with non-smoking-related lung cancer, Dor’s table was where so many people were able to improve their relationship with food, manage various health concerns and diagnoses, and find therapeutic friends and support.

Dor encouraged people to tell their stories. These stories are living testaments to the power of food to heal, the importance of community, and of creating a non-judgmental environment so that people can make lasting behavior change.

"She was ahead of her time when she designed an approach to healing based on the winning combination of honoring biological individuality, restoring the family table, and creating social support for behavior change" says Adi Benito, Board Certified Endocrinologist and Medical Advisor of the Suppers Board of Trustees.

"Dorothy will be sorely missed by so many in our community. She changed the trajectory of my life through my involvement in The Suppers Programs and now I carry forth her mission as a member of the Board of Trustees. Her spirit lives on in my garden, and that of many of us, whom she insisted transplant as many perennials as we could take last summer. Many are beginning to sprout right now as we enter spring" says Karen Rose Tank, Founding Board Member.

"When I met Dor, she was serving chili for breakfast. The concept of Suppers pushed me out of my comfort zone -- come to a stranger’s house for a meal? Hmmm... But it was her love in action that kept me coming back. Dor modeled the behavior we need as we heal -- non-judgement, curiosity, and encouragement to trust your instincts again. I will profoundly miss my friend” says Audelle Bodie, Founding Board Member and volunteer facilitator.

Because of Dor’s insight (she was the consummate planner) and the Board’s close collaboration, for the past several years Suppers has been working on a succession plan that included the de-Dorothy-ization of Suppers. Because of this work, Suppers is prepared to continue providing opportunities for people to discover the way of eating that best supports their health. And this formula works; not because it’s easy, but because Suppers offers support, encouragement, and practical tools -- without judgment.

Please see this separate tribute website for Dorothy.

A Home for Suppers -- A Matching Gift Campaign

One of Dorothy’s greatest wishes was to find a place for Suppers to flourish outside of her inviting kitchen. A generous anonymous donor has pledged $500,000.00 towards a Matching Gift Campaign to fund A Home for Suppers. All donations made to Suppers from March 17 onward will go towards this matching gift fund. It is our intention to find a permanent home for Suppers and continue Dor’s amazing work -- hold signature meetings, teach workshops, plant a garden and provide a gathering place for The Suppers Community.

For this ongoing legacy, Dorothy, we thank you and we love you.

To make your contribution toward A Home for Suppers, you can make an online donation here OR make checks payable to: 

The Suppers Programs
211 North Harrison Street
Suite A4
Princeton, NJ 08540

The Suppers Programs, Inc. is a 501(c)3. All contributions are tax-deductible. For further information, please email fund@thesuppersprograms.org.