MORE THAN A SOUP KITCHEN

       On a cold, wintry afternoon in February, a young boy, perhaps eight or nine, stood beside his mother greeting guests as they entered the soup kitchen. His mother, a long-time volunteer at the soup kitchen, informed each person who arrived that it was her son’s birthday. He had asked, in lieu of a gift, if he could buy lunch for the people at the soup kitchen and his mother had proudly agreed. Each guest of the birthday-boy stopped to speak a few heartfelt words of gratitude before going to their table. A smiling server brought a hot plate of turkey, gravy, stuffing, vegetables, cranberries and bread along with chocolate cake for dessert and a six inch submarine-type sandwich of cold meat to take away.

       St. Joseph’s Hospitality Center, at 707 Dundas St. East in London, does more than open its doors to feed low income and struggling clients each day of the week. It is a hub of activity involving businesses and other community organizations in the city. The coordinator, Bill Payne, has been with the “soup kitchen,” as it is commonly called, for approximately 22 years, the last 10 of those as coordinator.

       “It’s primarily supported by the Sisters of St. Joseph. It is their kitchen and they fund it, the majority of it,” he says.

       The soup kitchen opened in 1985 and has been at its present location for over 25 years.

       Numerous businesses donate food supplies to the soup kitchen, among them Metro, Parkwood Hospital, Canada Bread and Tim Horton’s. Volunteer drivers pick up the supplies, the surplus being redistributed to other community organizations in the city like the Men’s Mission Services. The staff also refers guests to other services in the city such as the London Intercommunity Health Centre, the Unity Project, St. Vincent de Paul Society and the Men’s Mission.  

       The soup kitchen has approximately 120 volunteers. Between 60 to 70 work each week. Each shift four work serving meals at tables, two do clean up and two are dishwashers. Three “doughboys” rotate shifts picking up and delivering supplies.

       “[The kitchen] couldn’t be run without the volunteers,” says Payne.

       Breakfast and lunch are served Monday to Friday. Approximately 400 meals are served daily. The cost to guests is 50 cents and $1 respectively. For $25 a month they can eat both meals daily. The soup kitchen is also open for short periods on three Saturdays a month. These can be mornings for guests to sit and have coffee and read the newspaper in an unhurried fashion, or an evening coffee house setting with beverages, food, cards and music.

       One of the reasons guests are charged for meals is to avoid the temptation to think they’re getting something for free and have no right to complain or expect better. The food is good, the service is prompt, the smiles genuine and the conversation friendly. Volunteers make it a welcoming, social place.         

       “[The guests are paying] so the food needs to be good,” says Payne with a smile.

       Payne says many of the volunteers are in transition in their private lives when they contact the soup kitchen. Retirement, isolation, new to the city, are some of the reasons that people volunteer there. There are also many students from Western University.

       “It’s much more than just food,” says Payne. “[The] one word is community.”