BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – Organizers of the Brookville Area Soup Kitchen (BASK) are encouraged with the amount of volunteers and the support offered for their once-a-month meal in February and March.
“Starting this month we’re expanding and doing it on the first and third Thursdays of each month instead of just the third Thursdays,” said Melinda Hall, vicar at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. “It’s been amazing the number of people wanting to volunteer.”
The meals are served from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Church on Pickering Street.
When Tom and Cathy Dinger suggested the soup kitchen to their new vicar, the dream of the Dingers started to come to life. They all knew it would take time, but they are pleased with the results so far.
“We had attendance in the single digits the first time and in the teens the next time,” said Hall. “It was pretty impressive the second time we did; it the weather was absolutely awful. Those numbers are what Cathy and I expected. We did as much advertising as possible – and, really, it’s going to be word of mouth. Hopefully, the word spreads, and there will be more people turning out for the soup kitchen.”
Organizers characterized the project as more of a community thing than a church project. A large number of students reportedly qualify for free lunches at school, and 16 percent of people living in Brookville Borough don’t know where their next meal is coming from, according to Dinger.
“Students from the school could also walk over after school. With the idea that so many students are on free lunches, they may not have dinner. So, that could be a safe place for them to come and get something to eat,” said Hall.
“I am encouraged by the results so far. When we started, we knew we weren’t going to set the world on fire and knew it was going to be a long process.”
Hall also said that volunteers come from all avenues of society, and people have heard about the kitchen from school, Lions Club, newspaper, churches, and many other people spreading the word.
The first menu included chicken vegetable soup, Waldorf salad, and strawberry oatmeal bar, along with bread, coffee, and water. It’s no surprise attendance increased for the second meal.
The group may even look for another location as BASK expands.