The Capuchin Soup Kitchen (CSK) is a religiously affiliated
soup kitchen and
non-profit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
located in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
, Michigan. It was founded by the
Capuchin friars to provide food for the poor during the
Great Depression and is sponsored by the Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph.
While it was initially established as a soup kitchen, CSK now includes a food and clothing bank, a drug rehabilitation program, and an after school and summer youth program.
Through its various ministries CSK serves approximately 560,000 individuals each year.
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History
The Capuchin Soup Kitchen was founded in 1929 by
Capuchin friars
Solanus Casey
Solanus Casey, OFM Cap. (November 25, 1870 – July 31, 1957), born Bernard Francis Casey, was a priest of the Catholic Church in the United States and was a professed member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. He was known during his lifetim ...
and Herman Buss.
CSK was started in order to address the needs of Detroit's poor population during the Great Depression. The friars at
St. Bonaventure Monastery
The St. Bonaventure Monastery is a complex of religious buildings, built for the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, located at 1740 Mt. Elliott Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
History ...
initially established the kitchen informally by providing food from their own stores, as was the expectation in their order. As the
porter
Porter may refer to:
Companies
* Porter Airlines, Canadian regional airline based in Toronto
* Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets
* Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer
* H.K. Porter, Inc., ...
of the monastery, Casey would provide each person who came seeking assistance with a cup of coffee and a sandwich.
The line outside of the Capuchin
Monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...
eventually grew up to 2,000 people each day, making it infeasible for the friars to serve everyone from the monastery kitchen. Herman Buss, who served as the spiritual director for the
Secular Franciscans, requested their assistance in creating a formal soup kitchen.
With the Franciscans' help the friars were able to move their services into the Third Order Hall facility located next to the monastery
chapel
A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...
. The Capuchin Soup Kitchen first officially opened its doors on November 2, 1929.
Buss was appointed the first director of the soup kitchen while Casey continued to serve the monastery as porter.
Capuchin friar Mathias Nack, OFM, Cap., the guardian of St. Bonaventure Monastery, took over the position of director in 1933. In order to sustain the work being done at CSK the Capuchin Charity Guild was created in 1942 to raise funds for the soup kitchen.
The Capuchin Soup Kitchen has moved from the Third Order Hall and currently has two facilities for its meal program. In the 1970s, the soup kitchen expanded its services to include Jefferson House, a drug rehabilitation program for indigent men.
In 2006, Raymond Stadmeyer, OFM, Cap., helped to create the R.O.P.E (Reaching Our Potential Everyday) Program associated with the Capuchin Soup Kitchen's On the Rise Bakery. On November 18, 2017 the Capuchin Soup Kitchen's Co-founder Solanus Casey, OFM, Cap., was
beatified
Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...
at
Ford Field with 60,000-70,000 people in attendance.
Programs and Services
There are seven distinct programs within the Capuchin Soup Kitchen. The programs are designed to meet the different needs of Detroit's underprivileged communities.
Meal Programs
The Capuchin Soup Kitchen has two sites which serve 2,000 meals a day, the Jefferson House site and the On The Rise Bakery site.
Meldrum Soup Kitchen
The Meldrum soup kitchen was started in 1929 by Solanus Casey, OFM, Cap. during the Great Depression, making it the first program launched by the Capuchin Soup Kitchen. It is located one block from the original soup kitchen location on Mt. Elliot and is handicap accessible.
Those using the service are mostly poor men and the kitchen serves approximately 600 meals a day.
Conner Soup Kitchen
The Conner Kitchen was opened in early 1998 and serves working families and seniors.
One-third of its meals are served to children 12 and under.
On the Rise Bakery & R.O.P.E Program
On the Rise Bakery is run by members of the Capuchin's ROPE (Reaching Our Potential Everyday) program which assists participants in learning marketable skills.
The bakery proceeds are spent on housing, training, counseling and other services for ROPE participants. Each member is responsible for supporting and mentoring newer additions through the program and the bakery.
Earthworks Urban Farm
Earthworks Urban Farm was founded in 1997. Located near the headquarters of the Capuchin Franciscans, the farm consists in eight gardens spread over 20 city blocks. Earthworks produce vegetables, small fruits, tree fruits, herbs and cut flowers which help to provide meals for the needy people serviced by the Capuchin Soup Kitchen.
The farm also sells some products to the farmers market, Grown In Detroit Co-op, and at health clinics.
Earthworks use their own harvested berries to make jam to help raise funds for CSK.
Capuchin Services Center
The Capuchin Services Center assists 228,000 of Detroit neighbors annually with emergency food and clothing.
They distribute food and basic necessity-of-life items to poor people based on their family size. They also distribute furniture and clothing.
Jefferson House
Jefferson House is a twelve-bed residential treatment facility for substance abuse which accommodates poverty-stricken males seeking to reclaim their lives from addiction.
Rosa Parks Children's Program
Rosa Parks Children's Program caters children from 6–12 years old to enhance their art skills and reading skills. They host a Summer Peace Camp which is a 3-week program where they teach children on channelizing their energy by learning how to cope with violence through art, music, and dance.
Spiritual Care
Spiritual Care provides spiritual health services for those who seek the spiritual guidance of
St. Francis of Assisi
Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...
.
Partnerships, Sponsorships, and Grants
To assist in raising funds and to enlist volunteer workers to support its programs and services, Capuchin Soup Kitchen has partnered with several international, national, and regional businesses.
They have also received government and business grants in support of their agricultural and legal programs.
Additionally, the CSK is affiliated with other Detroit-based non-profit organizations that primarily support their soup kitchen and agricultural programs.
Corporate Business Sponsors and Partnerships
Automobile Companies
Between 2005 and 2014, corporate automobile companies such as
General Motors (GM),
Chrysler Group, and
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
and/or their executive leadership made significant monetary contributions to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen. These contributions facilitated the organization by providing various food, career training, basic quality of life services and programs to needy Detroit citizens. These companies have offered incentives to their employees to encourage them to volunteer at the CSK.
Bob Evans Inc.
In 2013, the Capuchin Soup Kitchen partnered with the
Bob Evans Restaurant brand, a subsidiary of Bob Evans Inc., who helped to pay for the renovation of the CSK's Conner Avenue facility, home of the Rosa Parks Children and Youth Program.
DTE Energy and DNV GL
In July 2016,
DTE Energy and
DNV GL
DNV (formerly DNV GL) is an international accredited registrar and classification society headquartered in Høvik, Norway. The company currently has about 12,000 employees and 350 offices operating in more than 100 countries, and provides serv ...
partnered with the Capuchin Soup Kitchen for an energy-efficiency project where DNV GL donated energy-efficient commercial ovens, fryers, a dishwasher, natural gas, water heaters and LED lighting to the charity in an effort to reduce energy costs. In 2009, the DTE Energy Foundation donated $36,074 to the CSK from funds raised during their annual holiday fund-raising drive.
Kroger
Capuchin Soup Kitchen has received food donations as a community partner of the
Kroger
The Kroger Company, or simply Kroger, is an American retail company that operates (either directly or through its subsidiaries) supermarkets and multi-department stores throughout the United States.
Founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cinci ...
company who sponsors the Zero Hunger Zero Waste Program.
Local Detroit Business Partnerships
Sponsorship of the Capuchin Souper Summer Celebration by the Michigan-based business, Ahee Jewelry Co. raised approximately $3.5 million for the charity between 1981 and 2001.
Since 1976,
Buddy's Pizza, a Detroit area restaurant chain, has hosted the annual “Slice for Life” fundraiser in support of CSK raising over $3 million for the charity.
The Detroit radio station
WMGC-FM
WMGC-FM (105.1 Hertz, MHz "105.1 The Bounce") is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in Detroit, Michigan. It is owned and operated by the Beasley Broadcast Group and airs a classic hip-hop radio format. WMGC-FM broadcasts with 50,000 w ...
(105.1) hosts the annual Capuchin Soup Kitchen Radiothon which raises money every year in support of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen.
Grants
In 2003, the
U.S. Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...
,
Agriculture Secretary
The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments.
The department includes several organi ...
awarded a $150,000 grant to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen for a project that served to advance urban agriculture in Detroit through home and community gardens which includes tiling services, seed saving, seedling production, gardening workshops, community tool banks, resource centers, and model gardens.
In February 2016, The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan approved a $50,000 grant to the CSK to support a partnership providing free legal services to the homeless.
In October 2016, Mahindra North American Technical Center awarded a $12,500 grant to the CSK Earthworks Urban Farm Agriculture Training Program to support a nine-month program to train urban farmers and food entrepreneurs.
Partnered Nonprofit Affiliates
Gleaners Community Food Bank in Detroit (a non-profit food bank), provides tons of food to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen every month in support of their soup kitchen operations.
The Capuchin Soup Kitchen is part of the Detroit Agricultural Network, a partnership between The Greening of Detroit, Earthworks Capuchin Soup Kitchen and
Michigan State University Extension, through which its Detroit Garden Resource Program provides families and community gardeners with low-cost seeds, compost and classes.
Legal Cases
In 2001, a former Capuchin Soup Kitchen Financial Director, Francis Elias, and a former executive director of CSK, Lewis Hickson Jr., were found guilty of embezzling more than $800,000 between 1992 and 1996 from the organization. Elias was sentenced to two years in prison, two years of supervised release and issued a $25,000 fine while Hickson received 14 months in prison and two years of supervised release. Both men were ordered to repay $828,267 to CSK and the
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Ex ...
, a contributor to the CSK food bank.
Impact and Demographics
Who They Serve
The Capuchin Soup Kitchen serves men, women, and children that are homeless, poverty-stricken, or both. Volunteers and members live and work with the poor and aid all people regardless of race, sex, age, color, national origin, religious preference, handicap or level of income.
CSK also assists those who have been prisoners or addicts through On the Rise Bakery, offering counseling and educational opportunities.
Statistics
The organization has reported that they annually serve 560,000 individuals while also supplying 228,000 people with food and clothing in the Detroit area through programs and services. Approximately 2,000 hot meals are served each day and 300,000 pounds of groceries, 30,000 pieces of clothing, and over 500 pieces of furniture and appliances are given away to poor families every month.
Eight soup kitchens feed about 20,000 people per week. This is equivalent to about 1,500 meals a day or 300,000 hungry people a year who are in the Detroit area. This allows their clientele to be offered three meals a day, six times a week. Earthworks provides and grows food for the CSK through three gardens on a 2.5 acre certified organic farm.
160-180 families are served per day which is equal to 3,600 to 4000 families a month with the help of their partnerships with large food organizations.
Funds
The Capuchin Soup Kitchen receives no government subsidiaries to support its programs and services therefore depending financially on donations and their revenue earned from their own programs such as On The Rise Bakery.
CSK's revenue was reported as $288,786 in 2018.
The Capuchin Services Center
The Capuchin Services Center functions similar to a grocery store where individuals in need are allotted free food and clothing depending on family size. It has reach-in freezers and coolers with bread racks and pastries.
Corporate business chains, Kroger groceries and Kohl's clothing stores have donated storage shelves, food and clothing racks, and suspension bars to the facility, which provides the center the look of a retail environment.
Legal Aid/Assistance
Capuchin Soup Kitchen offers legal assistance to help those with issues such as traffic tickets, child support, landlord/tenant, and social security.
Volunteer attorneys, legal assistants and paralegals from Dykema, Kitch, Dickinson Wright, Jaffe, Clark & Schoenbeck, and Ford Motor Company's Office of General Counsel provide legal advice.
CSK's locations also have showers, and a change of clothing for the homeless/poor people for up to 30 days.
They also service up to 800 children a month with the use of the children's library and art therapy studio.
References
{{reflist
Soup kitchens
Non-profit organizations based in Michigan
Organizations established in 1929
Christian relief organizations
Organizations based in Michigan