וְתָפֵק לָרָעֵב נַפְשֶׁךָ וְנֶפֶשׁ נַעֲנָה תַּשְׂבִּיעַ וְזָרַח בַּחֹשֶׁךְ אוֹרֶךָ וַאֲפֵלָתְךָ כַּצָּהֳרָיִם: ישעיהו נח:י
Pour out for the hungry your soul, and the soul of the afflicted satisfy, and your light will shine in the darkness and your night will be as the noonday. (Isaiah 58:10)
The Chicken Soup Shelter was founded to ensure that no Jew in London has to go hungry or choose between keeping kosher and eating a decent meal. We provide hot, nutritious meals, 6 days a week throughout the year to anyone who walks through our doors with no questions asked.
The beneficiaries of the soup kitchen are diverse, but most fall into one of these three categories:
- People with physical or mental health problems that prevent them from being able to prepare their own food
- People undergoing family breakdown or another form of life crisis
- Homeless people and people in inadequate or temporary housing without access to a kitchen
In addition, The Chicken Soup Shelter has become the first port of call for visitors to the community who lack a place to eat.
Relief from loneliness
An central feature of our soup kitchen is the benefits of community and belonging that it gives to those who attend. For most vulnerable people in the 21st century, poverty is not so much about lack of access to money, as an absence of ‘social capital’, that it access to the social networks that all of us rely on every day to get on and get ahead.
In addition to the meal, those who attend out soup kitchen get the benefit of conversation, companionship, and camaraderie that they desperately need to improve their social situation. Our volunteers do much more than serve soup, they provide a listening ear, guidance, and assistance with the little things in life than vulnerable people otherwise have to handle on their own.
A nutritious meal
In a country like Britain, poor people are more likely to be obese than those better off. Vulnerable people generally have limited access to high quality food which costs more and takes longer to prepare. Many studies confirm that excessive consumption of cheap and easily available junk food leads to depression, locking people in the cycle of poverty. Unhealthy diets are one of the main causes of chronic illness that makes it hard for people to hold down a job or lead a functional life.
That’s why we at The Chicken Soup Shelter are careful to serve up a balanced meal including protein, vegetables, and fruit each and every day.
Our soup kitchen now serves meals twice a day, providing dozens of vulnerable people with the hearty breakfast they need to kickstart their day, and a nutritious evening meal before they go to bed.
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