Who We Serve
Since 1984, the Community Soup Kitchen and Outreach Center has been helping the homeless, working poor and elderly of Morristown and surrounding communities by serving meals and providing supportive services 365 days a year. We typically serve over 250 guests per day in a welcoming and safe environment. Anyone is welcome regardless of financial qualifications or religious beliefs.
Guest Stories
Read testimonials from some of our guests about how the Community Soup Kitchen has helped them change their lives.
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In from the Street
A two-and-a-half year odyssey through a maze of government bureaucracy, social service agencies, and banking institutions has ended with a simple but monumentally important result: a homeless, mentally ill guest at the Soup Kitchen is finally receiving the Social Security Disability payments she is entitled to and a safe place to live.
Dana (not her real name) has been eating at the Soup Kitchen for more than seven years. Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, Dana became homeless several years ago when a small inheritance she had been living on ran out and she was evicted from her apartment. For a while, she was able to have her Social Security Disability check delivered to the homeless drop-in center in Morristown. But as Dana’s schizophrenia worsened, she became convinced they wanted to harm her, and she refused to go there anymore. Her checks were sent back to the Social Security Administration uncashed, and eventually her benefits were stopped. Now Dana was homeless and entirely destitute.
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Staying Strong
Longtime Morristown resident, “Evan”* may appear big and tough on the outside, but in reality he is a gentle, caring man and a devoted father. You’d never guess that he was called “Fluffy” by his friends. He went from high school football player to working as a security guard for 21 years. For a time he was able to provide for his wife and three children, until a series of losses began to shred his life.
Both of Evan’s parents died, followed by the unexpected death of his four month old daughter. When his marriage ended, his wife moved with their son and daughter to Newark. The hardest part for Evan was not getting to spend as much time with his children as he would have liked. But the distance did not dissuade Evan who was determined to be a good provider.
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Raising a Granddaughter
We have all been hit with higher food prices, but for the area’s poor who already struggle with Morris County’s high cost of living, a $4 gallon of milk can bring them to tears. If it were not for the Community Soup Kitchen, many do not know how they would survive.
Beverly is a 68 year old grandmother living in subsidized housing. She said, “My life is simple. I got older, got sick, couldn’t work, and I am raising my grandchild. I try to do as much good for her as I can and not have her wanting and needing; therefore my money is tight. My granddaughter wants snacks like other kids, sneakers like other kids. I’ve got to scrape up another $100 for her sports and school excursions. It’s all about money.” When her $300 government stimulus check arrived this spring, Bev spent it all on food and clothing. “Who can afford luxuries?” she said, “These days going to the movies is a luxury.”
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A Veteran’s Story
One early morning 5 years ago, Darren G. awoke to total silence. It was unnerving. Usually he could hear the sounds of traffic in the distance or wind blowing through the trees. He unzipped his tent and thought, “Wow, look at this!” He was buried under 6 inches of snow. This was his first of four years as a homeless person in Morristown. Darren actually found living in the woods fairly easy after his time as a soldier in Iraq. He couldn’t sleep straight through the night in a bed, but he seemed to do all right in a sleeping bag.
Darren had a typical middle class upbringing in East Hanover, New Jersey. He inlisted in the army right after high school. When the first Gulf war began in 1991, Darren reupped. For 8 months he was based in Kuwait. Calling combat “an awakening experience”, Darren is unable to talk much about his time over there. “You live your life not thinking about violence… then to see it firsthand… and to come back here where you’re not supposed to see it or know about it…it’s just hopeless.”
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