The shelves are far less stocked than usual at the Kenneth Butler Memorial Soup Kitchen in Greenfield. Director Jill Ebbert said the reserves are the lowest she’s seen since the kitchen first opened in October 2012, and is seeking the public’s help to refill them to meet increased demand.
GREENFIELD – The shelves are getting bare at the Kenneth Butler Memorial Soup Kitchen in downtown Greenfield.
In fact, food reserves are the lowest Jill Ebbert has ever seen since the kitchen first opened in October 2012.
Ebbert said the soup kitchen recently ran out of macaroni and cheese and hamburger, “and I never run out of hamburger.”
Canned fruit is also running dangerously low, with less than 20 cans on the shelves Wednesday afternoon.
“We’re exploding in the number of meals we’re serving each day,” said Ebbert, who is finding it difficult to keep up with demand.
The sluggish economy and high price of living are taking its toll on families everywhere, said Ebbert, and an increasing number are turning to the soup kitchen for meals.
“We’re going through food like crazy. We just need to make sure donations keep coming in,” the director said during a busy lunch rush this week.
Ebbert said the soup kitchen served a record high 4,452 meals last month alone, up drastically from previous years.
The increased numbers are making it hard to keep both food and carryout containers fully stocked.
Roughly 25% of patrons eat their meals at the soup kitchen, while 75% take their meals to go.
Ebbert said she thought more patrons would return to dining in after COVID restrictions lifted, but she thinks many continue to opt for carry-out because they’re taking meals home to their kids.
“They’re not going to want to drag their kids in here, so we are continuing to operate in a hybrid fashion,” offering meals both on site and to go, she said.
Brandon Brooks stopped by at lunchtime Wednesday for a carry-out meal that consisted of a lunch meat sandwich, salad, chips and dessert.
“I come in here for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday. It’s a real blessing and helps out tremendously,” said Brooks, who is disabled and unemployed, and lives within walking distance of the kitchen.
He thinks the soup kitchen seems twice as packed with patrons over the past few months.
“Things are tough right now,” he said.
To keep up with demand, Ebbert is asking local churches, businesses, nonprofits and the general public to step up and donate both food and money.
“We have a long wish list posted on our website,” she said. “We’d appreciate anything you can give.”
Ebbert is planning an upcoming food drive as well as a big fundraiser next month – the Strike Out Hunger bowl-a-thon held Aug. 27 at Strike Force Lanes in Greenfield.
“That’s become our biggest fundraiser of the year. It’s critical in that it’s what we use to cover the (fourth quarter) budget,” said Ebbert, who hopes to raise $38,000 at the bowl-a-thon this year.
In the meantime, she and her devoted staff of volunteers continue to do all they can to keep patrons fed.
“Everything is just so expensive for everyone these days, with the cost of rent, groceries, school supplies, clothes…there’s often not enough to go around,” said Ebbert. “Providing a meal is one worry we can help take off their plates.”
The soup kitchen is located at 202 E. Main St. in Greenfield. For more informaton, visit kbmsk.org or call 317-462-9900.
