For four years the soup kitchen at Trinity United Methodist Church has served homeless and low-income individuals a warm meal once a week. “Each Saturday we serve approximately 60-100 individuals – providing a nourishing meal, comfort from the elements and some supportive human contact to those less fortunate than ourselves,” Cheryl Gohndrone the TUMC Outreach Auction Chair tells us.
This year the budget for the soup kitchen has been slashed in half. “Due to the declining economy, our annual budget is less than it has been in the past and our produce donations have been reduced, while the number of individuals needing our assistance is growing,” Cheryl Gohndrone, the outreach auction chair writes (read letter here .pdf.)
In 2010 the church hired a security guard, which Gohndrone tells us has encouraged women and young people to come eat a meal at the soup kitchen. Although the security guard is a significant chunk of their budget, organizers don’t want to do away with the position.
If they continue working as they’re doing now the soup kitchen is in jeopardy of closing early this summer. As a response to the cut in funding, church leaders are putting together an auction fundraiser to help keep the soup kitchen open through 2011.
The event is February 26th at 5 p.m. at Grace Gospel Chapel (2052 NW 64th St). For $60 you get beer/wine and non-alcoholic drinks, appetizers, dinner and the program. If you can’t attend, but would still like to donate, donation forms can be found here (.pdf.)
For more information contact Cheryl Gohndrone – 206-290-4229 or cherylgo@frontier.com.
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Stop feeding the bums, and fewer of them will flock to Ballard.
It would be one thing if these people were serving needy families who live in Ballard. But they aren’t. Instead they are dredging up drunks from downtown and blighting the neighborhood.
Please let them close.
I doubt either of you jerks has ever been, let alone volunteered any time the the soup kitchen. So how would either of you know anything about the work being done, or the people being helped. “Anonymous Coward” says it all.
I have brought contributions here and haven’t seen ‘bums’ – rather, mothers and children eating and being treated with dignity. This is a valuable program in this difficult time in our country
If you live close to it, you would see someone piss in your yard too on Saturday morning. They had to hire a security guard for a reason. A lot of what they serve is donated by the food bank, so how expensive is it to run the soup kitchen?
Why don’t you drop by some Saturday and find out. They could always use some help with dishes, the people who come to eat are generally tremendously grateful specially so when you take a moment to talk to them instead of down at them. Also, the people who prepare the food take great pride in the end result, most of it is actually made from scratch and much of is is donated organic produce. When is the last time you went to the mall or any large gathering and didn’t see hired security. I guess those yuppy jerks have to be kept in line too. And yes I live near by.
I used to volunteer at the soup kitchen run by the foodbank. They stopped that program, partially due to complaints from the neighbors. You don’t need a security guard on Sunday when people go to church. I don’t consider 60 people a large gathering. Why do the malt liquor cans on our street only appear on Saturday mornings?
why can’t some of the people receiving lunches help out? rotate shifts? are their afternoons booked and they have somewhere else to go? and yes, i have volunteered at this church.
Think of it this way, if they didn’t give them food, they’d be unable to spend their money on booze.
Trinity United Methodist Church needs to outreach to it’s own congregation and leave the neighbors alone. Only the congregation could vote on a shelter or soup kitchen then they all go home and leave the mess with the neighbors. They should hold the soup kitchen meal on Sunday and see how comfortable the congregation is with their own decisions. Bet they would think twice abou it if they actually had to live with their own makings.
l love how posts like these bring out all the hateful trolls amongst us .
On any given day I pick up trash in my front yard-
The other day it was full size grocery style bag of left overs from Matador. Before that, condom wrappers both empty and unopened. There is the constant pile of dog crap and sometimes even the bagged dog crap.
I live on a very normal street three blocks from TUM and I have yet to pick up any malt liquor bottles. It seems to me that the people who come to the soup kitchen are not the problem. The malt liquor cans are just as likely to be your children’s doing.
The issue for the soup kitchen isn’t volunteers although they are always needed and appreciated. And there at times patrons who help.
The issue is funding. If it’s not you heart’s calling to help homeless people don’t give any money. Simple as that.
The congregation at TUM not only interacts with people who come to the soup kitchen, but they actively serve them, give up their Saturdays to prepare food, serve, and clean up, and they are in full support of the mission and purpose of the kitchen. What’s more, many live near by and or, probably spend more time in the immediate environs than some who live here.
It never ceases to amaze me that even though the vast majority of us are one or two paychecks away from destitution, we never fail to single out the failed, downtrodden, addicted, lost and hungry for our scorn and hatred. Like somehow, if I never have to pick up some trash dropped from the baglady’s cart, if I never have to see or smell some sodden foul mouthed schizophrenic starving half-wit, then I can just go on my merry way thinking I’m better, and I’ve made it, and I matter, and people will listen when I speak or complain.
Bravo! You’ve insulted the least of us and even those who have in their hear to help. Now you can bask in your own over rated glow.