Social - January 2004

Soup Kitchen serves thousands

Helping the Hungry

By DIANE TURBYFILL, Staff Writer

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Twenty-six-year-old Debbie Allen cooks for a family of six everyday. She lives in a three-bedroom home with her two children, parents and brother.

Her only reprieve from the kitchen comes during lunch at Christian Ministry’s Soup Kitchen.

Allen and her 2-year-old daughter talk and eat their plate of macaroni, green beans and turkey, topped off with a big slice of pecan pie.

The soup kitchen on South Poplar Street serves thousands of people a month — each one with a unique situation.

“We have a lot of different reasons people eat at the soup kitchen,” said Susan Brymer, director of Christian Ministry of Lincoln County.

People are battling issues such as unemployment, homelessness and low-income jobs.

As the unemployment rate increases so does the number seen at the soup kitchen, said Brymer.

“Our clients that come to us for service are always hard pressed to find work,” she said.

Neither Dennison Edwards nor Pete Calloway — regulars at the soup kitchen — work. They both receive disability.

Both men cook at their Lincolnton homes but also appreciate the hot meal available to them every day at the soup kitchen.

“They feed us a good, sufficient meal up here,” said Calloway.

The non-profit organization served 2,836 meals during the month of December, slightly down from the 2,949 in October — the highest amount this year.

The increasing number of rumbling stomachs has caused a push at the soup kitchen. Space has become an issue for the first time since 1994.

“We’re putting people on the dock to eat and setting up makeshift tables,” Brymer said.

A food conveyor belt even serves as table in a crunch. While the accommodations may not be ideal, Brymer said the organization always makes do.

The soup kitchen operates on a budget of $8,000 a year. Brymer said costs are offset through donations and volunteerism.

The largest annual fund-raiser for the soup kitchen is Souper Bowl Sunday, Feb. 1. Each year churches take cash donations and cans of soup on the NFL’s Super Bowl Sunday.

Brymer said Christian Ministry will continue to run with the donations and space available for now. Demand will determine if the organization will have to look toward expansion to feed the hungry.

“Is this going to be a trend that’s going to continue or will it correct itself? We can’t forecast that,” she said.

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Christian Ministry of Lincoln County Soup Kitchen is open every day from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Devotions are held prior to the meal each Sunday. For details call 704-732-0383.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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