By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Members of Praise Fellowship Church are in it for the long haul.
Every Tuesday morning, for more than three decades, staff and volunteers gather at the Park Avenue church to serve prepared food and hand out groceries at what has become Chatham’s longest-running soup kitchen.
So far in 2023, the soup kitchen has distributed 7,700 meals, 1,000 more compared to the same time last year.
In light of rising rent costs and inflation, the need continues to grow, according to Karrie Gevaert, one of the volunteers who helps co-ordinate the soup kitchen.
“We normally get about 120 to 200 people each week,” Gevaert said as she dished out hot soup.
Lately, the weekly numbers are in the 150 to 230 range, with more new faces and a younger crowd, including families, coming for help.
Gevaert said skyrocketing costs across the board are forcing people to make difficult choices, such as whether to buy groceries or pay the hydro bill.
“We have people here who are crying, wondering how they are going to do it,” she added.
The soup kitchen was a busy place on a recent Tuesday, with a long line of people picking up fresh vegetables, soup and sandwiches, and other items. Some also selected good quality clothing from the church’s clothing closet, which offers a wide range of washed and folded donated clothes.
Pastor Michael Koppes, who has ministered at Praise Fellowship for the past 25 years, said the soup kitchen, which started under the leadership of Rev. John Lubbers in 1990, simply puts Christian faith into practice.
“We are just here to serve,” Koppes said. “The Lord has blessed us with donations and we’ve never gone without. We just want to help the community because that’s what the community needs.”
All who come to the kitchen are welcome, he explained, and no one is asked to provide any paperwork or proof of income in order to access the kitchen.
“When Jesus helped, he didn’t check people’s pay stubs,” the pastor said. “We don’t judge. We want to treat people with dignity. The more we give, the more we receive.”
Koppes said the church also maintains a food pantry and people can get extra food to help them through the week by contacting the church if needed. They also hold a community meal once a month.
The Praise Fellowship Church soup kitchen relies on many different sources for food. Harvest Hands, a St. Thomas-based charity that collects food that would have otherwise gone to waste from businesses, is an important contributor, as is Schinkels’ Gourmet Meats. The World of Life Church in Blenheim often shares canned goods as well.
However, Koppes said there are also many anonymous donors who pitch in, plus the Praise Fellowship soup kitchen networks with other food banks and soup kitchens in Chatham-Kent.
