The mission of the Idaho Falls Soup Kitchen is to provide a sanctuary where fellowship is nurtured, and a hot nourishing meal is served in an environment of respect and dignity.
Every morning a group of selfless volunteers gather in a comfortable building on South Boulevard to prepare meals for their neighbors in need. The Idaho Falls Soup Kitchen currently serves a hot lunch 365 days a year to food-insecure adults and families. It has a 40-year history of serving a noontime meal to those in need. Beginning in 1985 with two Episcopal church members serving sandwiches on weekends, it was housed in a closet-sized room in the basement of the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Eventually, it has expanded to a building on Boulevard with the capability to feed about 120 meals in person daily.
This service has continued to grow each year.
The Soup Kitchen is blessed with dedicated and trained teams of volunteers for every day of the year. The volunteers are the heart of the Soup Kitchen.
“It is an inspiring and tender experience to observe volunteers and family groups serving the less fortunate in our community,” Soup Kitchen board member, Billie Nelson, shared. “The volunteers come from all walks of life, age groups, and a variety of denominations. Each day 10 to 15 volunteers arrive at the Kitchen by 10:30 am to work with a certified cook in preparing and serving approximately 120 hot, nutritious meals. These meals are served every single day of the year. Last year the Kitchen served more than 40,000 meals with the help of thousands of volunteers.”
In 2023, the staff realized it wouldn’t be long before the Soup Kitchen would be serving its one-millionth meal. The total meal count at 2023’s end was 968,521. Excitement mounted as they approached serving the one-millionth meal.
In the spring of 2024, the Soup Kitchen served that huge milestone of the “one-millionth meal”. The Bank of Commerce provided a team of volunteers who prepared a smoked brisket lunch for that occasion. A longtime patron was served the “social” meal and was awarded a custom-designed “Millionth Meal” soup bowl. This was a thrilling historical day for everyone to consider the impact of people serving their neighbors for almost 40 years!
To commemorate the event with the community, the Soup Kitchen hosted a celebration and fundraising event in October. Food, live music, raffles, and messages about this historical milestone for the Soup Kitchen were enjoyed by more than 250 supporters. “The Soup Kitchen truly brings our diverse community together for a worthy purpose”, commented Nelson.
She shared a personal experience. “Last Christmas, 15 of my children and grandchildren came to the Soup Kitchen to help serve a special Christmas meal, which included ham, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and ice cream with chocolate sauce. The teenagers in the group did not stop serving, and passing out Christmas packages of gloves, socks, hats, and hygiene kits provided by a local church group. After the last patron departed and the cleanup was concluded, several children shared feelings about visiting and interacting with the patrons.
One said, “This was a life changing experience which I will never forget”.
In early 2024, a generous donation from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provided the Soup Kitchen with several needed commercial appliances and other essential items. This donation, along with others, has helped the Kitchen meet its goal to provide these nutritious meals in a clean and welcoming environment, a mid-day sanctuary.
The managers, Eric and Serenah Hamlin, have several years of experience uplifting those suffering from food insecurity. Going forward, the Soup Kitchen plans to continue providing meals for their guests along with love and fellowship. The Soup Kitchen gratefully accepts donations to help with their commitment to feed the needs of many in our community.