Community Soup Kitchen

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.”

Bev worked hard at her job as an executive secretary until a serious heart problem put her on disability. It was a tough year because that was also when she realized that she would have to raise her granddaughter. Making ends meet became more difficult each month. Finally, in 1996 a friend told her about the Community Soup Kitchen.  Bev was awed by the initial experience. “As a very little person I lived through the Depression. We had ration stamps. So I’ve been around the block a couple of times. When you say ‘soup kitchen’ you expect to see a bowl of soup and a piece of bread. But they lay a smorgasbord out here! I couldn’t believe how much food there was; peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to take home, then they called ‘seconds’ and brought out even more food!”

Bev says, “I felt humbled but not shamed.”  She has come back regularly ever since. “I asked my granddaughter if she was ashamed that I go to the soup kitchen and she said, “No, because they take good care of you.” Along with heart trouble, Bev has emphysema and arthritis which are treated with 14 medications. Bev relies on the soup kitchen to help her maintain her health by eating right. She said, “I enjoy coming here to eat. Get my salad every day.  I come here to get a hot meal and food from the take home table: fresh fruits and vegetables sometimes even chicken and ground beef.” “I have to eat healthy,   but I can’t eat healthy if it’s not here. You know what I’m saying?”

Bev gets so much more than a meal at the soup kitchen.  The CSK serves as an extended family to many of our guests who do not have a strong support network of their own.  Bev regularly eats with and swaps stories with several other CSK grandparents who are raising children.  Bev met Community Advocate Elena Graham through the Outreach Center located in the dining room. Bev refers to Elena as “all around help”. “When I first got my granddaughter, I hadn’t gotten a clothing check. She only had the clothes on her. Elena gave me a $50 gift certificate to take her to the store.” This summer Elena also helped find a scholarship for her granddaughter to attend a week of camp.

Despite all of her challenges, Bev remains upbeat. ” I count the soup kitchen as one of my many blessings. God broke me so that he could fix me. My heart is not strong. I used to smoke, but I don’t smoke any more. He gave me a new lease on life so that I could be here for the kid.”