Soup Kitchen

Directions			Distance
Total Est. Time: 28 minutes Total Est. Distance: 13.80 miles
	1:	Start out going SOUTHEAST on S RIDGE AVE toward POPLAR ST.	<0.1 miles
	2:	S RIDGE AVE becomes MATTISON AVE.	0.3 miles
	3:	Turn RIGHT onto S BETHLEHEM PIKE.	0.2 miles
	4:	Turn LEFT onto HIGHLAND AVE.	0.4 miles
	5:	Merge onto PA-309 S.	6.3 miles
	6:	Turn SLIGHT LEFT onto W CHELTENHAM AVE.	3.0 miles
	7:	Turn RIGHT onto CRESCENTVILLE RD.	0.3 miles
	8:	Turn LEFT onto ADAMS AVE.	1.0 miles
	9:	Turn RIGHT onto WHITAKER AVE.	<0.1 miles
	10:	Turn SLIGHT LEFT onto E ROOSEVELT BLVD.	0.6 miles
	11:	Turn RIGHT onto FOULKROD ST.	0.7 miles
	12:	Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto OXFORD AVE.	0.1 miles
	13:	Turn RIGHT onto FRANKFORD AVE.	0.4 miles
	14:	End at Salvation Army: 4344 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19124, US
Total Est. Time: 28 minutesTotal Est. Distance: 13.80 miles

PREPARING AND EXECUTING THE SOUP KITCHEN
An overall discussion by Harley Miller (our NECH contact at the site) is included below. A few things to remember are:

It is better to have too much than too little - all the food goes
Try not to give out seconds till about 12:30 - there always seem to be folks who turn up too late - after 2nd,3rds,4ths have been given out.
Be kind but firm with folks who try to get seconds before you are ready to give them out.

HOT MEALS (Words of wisdom from Harley)
The last weekend of the month is usually the busiest. Folks use up their SSI checks before the end of the month and more people show up the last week (90-100) than on any other week. On the other hand, that is the week we are most needed. You also should know that every once in a while (When the 1st of the month falls on Sunday), SSI checks are available on Saturday and so the numbers fall on those days...

If checks are out, the numbers are down . Normally we have between 90 and 100 diners with about ten percent children. So plan to serve 100 both for the hot meal and the bag lunch for takeout. When we have hot meals, the bag lunches contain one sandwich, one fruit, and one treat. When we serve only bag lunches and no hot meal like the week you all helped, we double everything and add beverages. But we do not provide take out beverages with the bag lunches on a normal week.

The NECH (North East Committee on Hunger) provides table covers, disposable 9 inch divided compartment plates, cups, napkins, plastic knives, forks and spoons and 5 oz small serving bowls for desserts. Upon request, I can provide larger bowls (some groups use them for soups or salad) and small serving plates for deserts.

The serving group provides the food based on their menu preferences. There is usually an entree, a vegetable and a starch with desert. A few groups are big on salads and do a salad as well. The serving group also provides a beverage (usually instant iced tea).

Groups are divided on where they prepare the meals. Some groups arrive around ten am and make the bag lunches and prepare the hot meal at the Salvation Army. Other groups prepare the bag lunches and the hot meal at their home facility and then come down to the Salvation by around 11 to set up and heat up their food. The stove at the Salvation Army, while commercial grade, is relatively small. Groups that prepare on premises usually prepare foods which can be cooked on top of the stove in large pots. Your friend, Tim Ebner, is famous for his spaghetti and meatballs. In fact, the diners call him "Spaghetti Man and always ask when "Spaghetti Man" is serving. Groups that prepare off premises, often prepare casseroles or other entrees which can be heated in the oven. Some groups have lots of folks cook at home, others prepare the meal at their church. The oven at the Salvation Army, by the way, holds four large aluminum foil serving "trays."

You should decide whatever system you feel comfortable with. Folks will probably be somewhat anxious the first few times, but, after a while, food for one hundred is a snap. ... I will be there the first few times you serve and I share the hosting responsibilities with Tim Ebner .He will be there when I am not. So things will go smoothly.

In fact, people will be amazed that the actual serving usually only takes 15 to 20 minutes. So much effort goes into preparation and then it is gone in 20 minutes. We usually open the doors at noon and serve from 12:10 to 12:30. One of the earlier Captains at the Salvation Army used to say "part of serving the meal is cleaning up afterward." After the meal, we take out the trash, put away the tables and chairs, clean up in the kitchen and mop one half of the Gym floor. Most groups are finished cleaning up by 1:30. I have a little ritual for checking to make sure the oven is off, the doors are locked and I mop the kitchen floor and usually am out by 2pm.

By the way, groups are divided on whether or not to have a meal themselves. Originally no group ate at the Salvation Army, but now several groups do. Again you can decide what you would like to do.

If you all decide to do your prep at the Salvation Army, the NECH can provide the "snack" for the bag lunch from our Food Bank food. Food Bank food costs 16 cents a pound and we used to get candy as the treats from them. The nutritionists objected and now we no longer can get candy, but they do have snack food. For example yesterday, Tim's group used Doritos and peanut butter crackers. Since the snacks are relatively expensive if not from the food bank, we provide the snack for folks. A problem occurs if you all prepare the bag lunches at your location. We've never found a good way to get the snacks to you in the burbs. So, groups like Abington Baptist prepare their food in Abington and buy their own snacks, groups like Tim's who prepare at the Salvation Army use the food bank snacks. Some groups who have adequate funds provide their own snacks as well since the food bank food can be pretty unappealing sometimes.

BAG LUNCHES ONLY (Words of wisdom from Harley)
In the summer months, the basic idea is to substitute a bag lunch for the hot meal and still give an additional bag lunch as we normally do. So everything is doubled from the usual bag lunch plus beverages are added. Normally two sandwiches, two fruits, two drinks and two snacks are included. Most (but not all) groups put the sandwiches, fruits, and snacks in a paper bag. The drinks are kept separate and the bags and drinks are distributed "buffet line" style from the sidewalk behind the Salvation Army. St. Mark's Reformed chills their beverages but no one else does. We provide plastic T-shirt bags to each diner to hold the bag lunch and the two beverages. Some groups handle all of the above on their own. For other groups, the NECH provides snacks from the Food Bank and sometimes brown bags and the T-shirt bags and individual packets of mayonnaise and/or mustard. All of the groups prepare the bag lunches at their home church. The other two suburban churches (Tim Ebner's New Beginnings and Abington Baptist) handle everything on their own . The churches who use NECH supplies are based here in the city and I usually deliver the NECH stuff to their church. I don't know how the other suburban churches get their supplies since the T-shirt bags and individual packets of mayo/mustard are hard to find. Also, the least expensive beverages are sodas from Aldi's and I would doubt that there is an Aldi's in the burbs.

Regardless, I can do whatever needs to be done to help you all get things done. I have committments both tonight and tomorrow night so if I were to deliver supplies it would have to be on Saturday morning. Alternatively, if you prepare everything at your church, we could add things (mustard, mayo and snacks) as the diners go down the line. I don't know how many folks you plan on having help distribute. Distribution is an interesting phenomena. Some folks are more than willing to help prepare the lunches, but really don't want to distribute. Other folks like distribution. Normally you need at least four people on distribution, two on bag lunches and two on beverages. If you decide to add some other things on line so to speak, you would need distributors for them as well.

Whatever, you decide I will be there to distribute T-shirt bags and to handle any problems.

Other things that come to mind --- Some groups (i.e. Oxford Circle Baptist) prepare two brown bags each with a sandwich, fruit and snack and then distribute two bags and two drinks. Other groups (i.e. the Episcopalians) put the bag lunch and beverages in the T-shirt bags at their church and then distribute on bag to each diner at the Salvation Army. Both of these groups are founders and have developed their own systems. I personally think that adding the drink before hand just makes transportation more difficult. The point being , however, that you need to decide what works for you and go with it.