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Saturday, November 15, 2008
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Soup kitchen needs soup
Staff Writer It's difficult to operate a soup kitchen when there's no soup - or any other kind of food - to serve the growing number of hungry guests who come for dinner every night.
The Sharing Bread Soup Kitchen in Brainerd has seen an increase in guests since this summer, the Rev. Bob Evans, soup kitchen manager, said. Each day the soup kitchen serves 70 to 80 meals, about a 15 percent increase from this time last year.
"There was definitely a spike this summer," Evans said last week. "We're going through massive quantities of food."
The soup kitchen isn't the only organization noticing a food shortage. Earlier this fall the Salvation Army Food Shelf put out a plea regarding its lack of food. Debby Lick, food shelf coordinator, said after several food drives the food shelf's inventory is back up, allowing it to serve people in need.
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Anna Olson (right) gave April Ferguson a plate of food while Harold Petrie (center) and Herschel Templeton waited in line at the Sharing Bread Soup Kitchen. The soup kitchen's food supply is running low because of an increased number of guests.
Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
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"We're not in any immediate danger of running out of food," she said. "But we can go from feast to famine really quickly."
This summer there was a decrease in donations and in August 719 people received boxes of food from the food shelf, up from the monthly average of 600.
Lick said most people say unemployment, gas prices and high food prices are reasons they are in need of assistance from the food shelf.
Evans said he doesn't usually ask soup kitchen guests about the circumstances that brought them to needing the soup kitchen's services, but many situations involve sickness, disabilities, unemployment and underemployment.
"We're there to feed hungry people, no questions asked," Evans said.
Matt Annand can appreciate that rationale. When he was young his father was diagnosed with a mental illness, leaving him unable to work. It was a devastating blow to the family, especially Annand's mother. Money was tight and the family struggled to make ends meet. He remembers area church groups putting food on their doorstep, no strings attached.
Sharing Bread Soup Kitchen fundraiser
Where: Prairie Bay
When: 1 p.m. Dec. 14.
What: Lunch will be cooked and served by Prairie Bay staff.
Cost: $20 a person, with all proceeds benefiting Sharing Bread Soup Kitchen.
Reservations: Call Prairie Bay at 824-6444.
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"It's something that stuck with me my whole life," Annand said.
Now Annand is Prairie Bay's executive chef and he wants to give back. Prairie Bay is hosting a fundraiser for Sharing Bread Soup Kitchen at 1 p.m. Dec. 14. Prairie Bay staff will donate their time to cook and serve the meal. Lunch will be served for $20 a person and all the proceeds will go to the soup kitchen.
The fundraiser couldn't have come at a better time.
"Our cupboard is bare," Evans said.
He hopes 200 people will come to the event.
"Community-minded people with a heart for the soup kitchen will get behind this fundraiser and make it a success," he said.
The soup kitchen has been in operation for 21 years. Church groups or other service organizations volunteer to serve meals to guests.
Located next to Temple Baptist Church in downtown Brainerd, the soup kitchen is open seven days a week, serving meals from 5:30 to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and at 1 p.m. on Sundays.
The soup kitchen will be closed on Thanksgiving, Evans said, because the Moose Lodge will provide a free community meal being served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
HEIDI LAKE may be reached at heidi.lake@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5879.
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