Like many faith organizations, the Soup Kitchen has wrestled with ways to stay environmentally responsible and fulfill our mission to serve our local community. For years the Soup Kitchen has prided itself in using real dishes and table wear to serve its guests. This has added to the enjoyment and dignity of the free meal. It has also cut down on the amount of garbage entering the landfill, as our utensils are reusable. As the number of people attending on Tuesdays has increased, clean up takes longer. For several years we have opted to use paper plates in the summer to cut down on time spent in a hot kitchen. Now that average Tuesday attendance is staying at over 120 people, the Soup Kitchen committee has decided to keep on using paper plates year round. We will miss the specialness of serving on real plates but our volunteers will benefit from the reduced work load. (We treasure our volunteers!) Using paper whenever possible, instead of plastic and using the stainless table service will help us to stay environmentally friendly.
In support of our volunteers who have worked week after week, year after year, to serve the greater Titusville community, another big change has been made. Up to now the Soup Kitchen has been open 52 weeks out of the year, rarely closing for inclement weather or holidays. Starting this Thanksgiving, the Soup Kitchen will be closed the week of major holidays; Thanksgiving, Christmas, Holy Week, Fourth of July, and probably Labor Day. Generally attendance is lower those weeks as many people have family activities and Soup Kitchen usually plans it's special holiday meals the week prior to the holiday. Other churches and civic organizations plan special events at holiday time which our guests can attend. This past Fourth of July fell on a Tuesday so we decided to close, but the week before, we handed out packs of hotdogs and buns so our guests would be sure to have traditional holiday fare. A policy which we implemented a couple of years ago will continue. That states if Titusville schools are closed due to bad weather, Soup Kitchen will be closed so everyone can be safe. These changes are necessary for the health of our mission. Taking a scheduled breather now and then is a well deserved respite for our workers. Fifteen years and counting! Please support the St. James Community Soup Kitchen by joining us for lunch on Tuesdays at noon. Be part of the conversation! Submitted by Eda Scales Comments are closed.
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