Covenant Soup Kitchen

The objective of the Soup Kitchen is to offer a "light" breakfast and a hot, nutritious lunch, six days a week, at no charge to its guests. Our "Food Policy" tries to assure that a hot breakfast is available several mornings a week, especially during the cold weather. At lunch, a variety of foods are offered so guests may make appropriate choices according to individual dietary and health needs. When everyone has been served, guests may get "take out" containers of food to take with them. Bread and produce are also available most days for taking. During the last fiscal year, the Soup Kitchen was open 297 days for lunch. A total of 23,385 meals were served, not counting seconds and "take outs" for a daily average of 92 individuals. The facility was open 299 days for breakfast, providing 14,057 meals, for a daily average of 51 people. In November of 2001 the Soup Kitchen began serving meals on Friday evenings from 5 to 7pm. On Sundays, when the Soup Kitchen is not open, bag lunches are distributed at the Willimantic Co-op. While kitchen staff plan the lunch and provide the food, parishioners from Saint Paul's Church and other community volunteers prepare and pass out the lunches. The Food Pantry responds to requests for emergency groceries on a once per month, per family basis. The pantry is open two hours per day, five days per week. In order to receive food, guests must first obtain an "Emergency Food Card" by registering at the Access Agency. This card then allows them to receive food assistance from other agencies in town. In August of 1998 the Food Pantry changed to a "Client Choice" format. Each person utilizing the service can choose the foods they prefer from shelves that are organized according to the Federal Government's Food Pyramid. Since this new format was introduced, we have seen a steady increase in the number of individuals using the pantry. Our numbers increased 10% last year, and we have seen an additional increase some months this year as high as 30%, for a total of 38,916 meals provided through the pantry. (Number of meals is calculated by the the number of people per family times nine: three meals for three days). Meals: Breakfast: Monday Through Saturday, 9:15am; Lunch: Monday Through Saturday, 12:15pm To 1:00pm; Sunday Bag Lunch, 11:30am to 12:00pm; Dinner: Friday Evening Only, 5:30pm to 6:00pm; Emergency Food Pantry: Monday Through Friday 2:00pm - 4:00pm