Community Soup Kitchen Hunger Walk Provides Safety Net for Local Poor

Morristown, NJ - October 3, 2016 - The Community Soup Kitchen and Outreach Center will hold the 20th annual Hunger Walk on Sunday, October 16 at 1 pm. Proceeds from the event will help feed struggling local individuals and families.

A recent study by Drew University found that 1,000 Morris County residents are living in poverty but not accessing the services they need. This year the Community Soup Kitchen and Outreach Center is making strides to reach these families by expanding their services. In fact, the Soup Kitchen is feeding more people than ever – in a typical week they are reaching 450 more people than last year.
Services have expanded to include breakfast and lunch 365 days a year, Free Farmer’s Markets three times per week, and summer lunches for low-income students. By providing healthy food at a variety of times and locations, the Soup Kitchen is more accessible to all local people with food insecurity including large numbers of working poor with tight, inflexible schedules.

To continue meeting the growing need, the Community Soup Kitchen hopes to raise $100,000 at this year’s Hunger Walk. This educational fundraiser provides an opportunity for participants to assume the identity of a Soup Kitchen guest, tracking their story through cards handed out at stations throughout the three mile walk. The Walk is an opportunity to learn what poverty and homelessness feel like in Morris County while raising much needed funds for a worthy cause.

Sponsorship money raised by walkers and corporate donations support the Community Soup Kitchen’s mission of caring for anyone in need, no questions asked. Last year more than 900 people from high schools, middle school, corporate teams, congregations, and families helped the Soup Kitchen raise over $95,000. The participation of these supporters made a real difference in the lives of the homeless and working poor.
The Community Soup Kitchen and Outreach Center is a nonprofit organization, and has been in continuous operation for thirty-one years. The Soup Kitchen’s Outreach Center provides community advocates, mental health professionals, veteran outreach, homeless teenage outreach, a job counselor, nursing care, a substance abuse counselor and English as a Second Language classes.

In 2015, 75,000 meals were served, over 425,000 lbs. of food were distributed, and through the Outreach Center they collaborated with 22 other agencies to bring or additional services to adults and children in need.
For more information on Community Soup Kitchen’s commitment to caring for people in need, visit http://www.cskmorristown.org.