Matthew 25 mourns the death of former Groundswell Director, Philip Hamilton

We are saddened to share that Philip Hamilton, our beloved recent Director of Groundswell Cafe, died unexpectedly at the young age of 37. A casual remembrance and celebration of life, focused on food and storytelling, will happen on Saturday, September 28th at 10am at Groundswell Cafe, 201 3rd Ave SW in Cedar Rapids.

Philip came to Matthew 25 as our Volunteer Coordinator following the derecho in 2020. In that role, Philip worked with hundreds of families during one of the most difficult times in their lives to fix their damaged housing. He would later transition into the role of Groundswell Director, putting to use his years of culinary training and experience in highly-rated restaurants in New Orleans and elsewhere. In Groundswell, Philip found a way to put his deep yearnings for food justice, equity and deep friendships to work.

Philip believed deeply that everyone has gifts and value, and that high quality, healthy food should be available to all. At Groundswell, he would take time to get to know members of the homeless community, their names, their struggles, and their talents and abilities. He saw food and breaking bread together as a vehicle of community building and was always ready to throw in and make food for anyone who needed it.

Philip also loved his family deeply. At the end of July, he left Matthew 25 to move back to his hometown of L.A., so that he could be closer and more present to his family, especially his mother Grace, sister Kate and his one-and-a-half-year-old niece Sloane. He had been living in L.A. for a few weeks when he passed in his sleep on August 26th. The day before he died, Philip went into the center of L.A. to visit with homeless residents because he knew they needed to be seen and heard. That night, he told his sister he had joy in his heart from the experience.

Philip’s family and Matthew 25 are honoring his legacy with the creation of the Philip Hamilton Pay-It-Forward Endowed Fund. This fund will permanently support the pay-it-forward program at Groundswell Cafe. Contributions can be given on our website or by sending a check to Matthew 25, 201 3rd Ave SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404 and putting Philip Hamilton Fund in the memo line.

donate to Philip’s fund

Notes for Philip’s family can be left at Groundswell Cafe in a basket inside the front door during regular Cafe open hours, Monday – Saturday, 7 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Philip’s mother put together a lovely tribute for his high school and has given us permission to share it here. Click here to read her tribute >>

Philip and Groundswell Cafe appeared in an episode of the PBS show Iowa Life earlier this year. Check it out >>