Our Story
Just like many other ideas about how to change the world, Feed’em Soup Community Project was an idea born in a bar over beers amongst friends. In January of 2010, a handful of “kids” in their early 20′s noticed a need in their community. The group sat down and brainstormed about how they could give back to their community. The idea was simple – fresh, home cooked meals available to anyone. The approach was different – servers waiting on guests table side, real china and silverware, live music and other amenities you get at a sit down restaurant – all completely free of charge.
Word spread fast through our social circles. Soon, Feed’em Soup Community Project grew to an army of 15 dedicated volunteers whose average age was not a day over 25. The journey from concept to getting the doors open was long and arduous. Many people said we couldn’t do it, or that there was no need. These opinions just fueld the fire – we worked harder.
With approximately 9 months worth of planning under our belts we served our first meal in September of 2010. The First Lutheran Church of DeKalb would be our home for our first year. The church donated their kitchen and cafeteria space giving our organization a place to grow and get our footing. Attendance would triple in the first 6 months of service. By the end of the year we were serving 150 guests each dinner.
Opportunities presented themselves swiftly once the doors opened. We began a Food Pantry in the fall of 2010 and by the winter we had added a clothing closet – both free of charge during meal hours.
It soon became obvious – a full menu consisting of sometimes up to 7 different dishes for 150 people would require a larger kitchen. Luck would have it another local church – The Church In Dekalb – was in the process of renting a building housing an 1800 square foot kitchen which they had no use for. An amazing opportunity presented itself for our swiftly growing organization. The drawback to the potential new space was that it had been left in a state of disrepair for years and would need a considerable remodel to bring it up to health and building code standards.
In March of 2011, we officially partnered with The Church in Dekalb and began remodeling our new kitchen. Our estimated budget for the project was easily upwards of $30,000. Through the relentless effort of volunteers and donations from the community, we opened our new kitchen after 6 months coming in greatly under budget spending a total of $16,000.
A new building with a larger kitchen and more space available to us would mean larger food pantries and clothing closets and the addition of a children’s program – a volunteer led program for kids of all ages focusing on literacy. During each meal, kids participate in a story and a craft, art project or science experiment all with a similar theme.
In October of 2011 we opened our new kitchen. That same month Toyota awarded us a brand new 2012 Toyota Sienna through the Toyota 100 Cars For Good Program. Our new vehicle is used to shuttle guests to and from our meals who have no other means of transportation.
In January of 2012 we celebrated our 2nd Birthday. A simple idea done differently has taken on a life of its own. Today, Feed’em Soup Community Project is the labor of love for over 30 “Core Volunteers” who work day in and day out on a volunteer basis to better meet the needs of our community in a fun, fresh, and exciting way.
Our organization prides itself of being independent. We are funded by our community. We shop in our community. We are staffed by our community. We serve our community. We are the definition of “Community Project”.
As we continue to grow and serve we have never needed more help than now. Our future rests on the shoulders of people like you. Whether it’s a $20 bill, a no longer needed winter coat, a small bag of canned food, a couple hours of your time, or an outside the box idea – our future depends on you. Get involved today!
