The Town Club of Mountain Lakes Awards Grant to Community Soup Kitchen & Outreach Center

The Town Club of Mountain Lakes Awards Grant to the Community Soup Kitchen & Outreach Center

Morristown, NJ – When guests walk through the doors of the Community Soup Kitchen & Outreach Center, they are not only welcomed with a nutritious meal, but they are also given assistance with getting their lives back on track. This help, provided through the Outreach Center right in the dining room, comes in many forms: referrals for drug, alcohol and mental health services; blood pressure, cancer and other health screenings; assistance in securing shelter and housing; guidance with job searches; help with Medicaid and food stamps; legal consults and so much more.

Recently, one family – parents and their two children – lived in a shelter and ate meals at the Community Soup Kitchen (CSK). They received a fresh start after working with the CSK’s Outreach Center. Due to past legal issues, the dad was unable to find a job. First, he met with a lawyer in the CSK dining room who helped expunge his past record. Soon after, the father found a job as a church custodian. With a regular pay check, his family became eligible for a housing voucher and moved into an apartment. Then the mom met with an employment specialist, also in the CSK dining room, who assisted with online job postings. Next, CSK Outreach workers helped the family secure reduced childcare. Now the mom manages the floral department of a local grocery store, and the family is once again self-sufficient.

Success stories like these are possible through the community’s generous support of the CSK’s Outreach Center. One local organization, The Town Club of Mountain Lakes, recently awarded a $1,500 grant to fund its Outreach efforts.

“This generous grant from The Town Club of Mountain Lakes is crucial because it provides valuable assistance to our guests 365 days a year,” said Nancy Rudgers, CSK director of development. “Our goal is to feed our guests a nutritious breakfast and lunch and give them the tools they need to turn their lives around. This grant is even more special to us because we were referred to The Town Club of Mountain Lakes by a volunteer from St. Catherine of Siena, a church that has supported the Community Soup Kitchen for more than 20 years. It’s wonderful to be connected to new organizations in the community that are so eager to help us.”

The Community Soup Kitchen & Outreach Center, located at 36 South Street in Morristown, serves breakfast and lunch seven days a week to the area’s working poor, homeless, elderly and disabled. For the past 32 years, the Community Soup Kitchen has never missed a day providing meals. All are welcome and no questions are asked of anyone. Through its Free Farmer’s Market, the CSK distributes nutritious fruits, vegetables and meat to local families. Its Outreach Center workers collaborate with dozens of local agencies to bring medical and mental health assessments as well as shelter, housing, educational and employment services to our guests, right in the CSK dining room. Last year, the CSK served 75,000 breakfasts and lunches; gave away 475,000 pounds of healthy, nutritious food through its Free Farmer’s Markets; provided 150 summer camp lunches five days a week to children of local low-income families; secured permanent housing for 20 homeless guests; and made 3,300 guest referrals to social service agencies. The CSK is a 501c3 nonprofit and receives no government funding.

The Town Club of Mountain Lakes has awarded more than $250,000 in grants to local organizations since 2005. Established in 1959, The Town Club set its mission to build and maintain a strong community. The Holiday Boutique, Holiday House Tour and Spring Jam are the primary fundraisers that make the grant program possible. The Town Club is also a vibrant social club that welcomes newcomers and provides daytime and evening events for residents to become acquainted with one another. Popular activities include Book Club and Dinner Club. For more information, visit townclubml.org.

Photo: Outreach Center Workers (L to R) Michelle Kieffer; Tara Ryan, director of Programs & Services; Manny Diaz.