The Women's Lunch Place is a daytime refuge in Boston's Back Bay for women and children who are poor and/or homeless. Founded in 1982 by Jane Alexander and Eileen Reilly, who had worked in overnight homeless shelters, it was intended simply to offer a warm and safe place to come inside and relieve the isolation and alienation of homelessness. It has grown to serve 50,000 meals annually. It offers basic clothing and supplies — from warm hats and tooth-brushes, to shower and nap facilities, to pro bono legal and medical services. Perhaps most important, staff and volunteers also provide friendship and affection, recognizing the profound losses these women suffer, and responding to what they say they need most: to be welcomed into a community where everyone is equally respected, because they see in each other more similarities than differences. WLP serves a home-made lunch with tablecloths and fresh flowers to 80-125 guests every day. There is no charge, no "processing," just simple hospitality. The annual budget is about $1.7 million, two-thirds of which is supplied by personal donations. Their 25th anniversary is in 2007. This is all heart, with excellent taste.