Idaho Falls Soup Kitchen helps feed hungry during colder months

It is the season of giving. The Idaho Falls Soup Kitchen is making sure people are fed and taken care of during the holidays.

“They prepare hot meals that are nutritious (and) filling, and anybody in our community that’s struggling with food or hunger, they’re able to come in,” said David Manson, the executive director of the Community Food Basket Idaho Falls and Idaho Falls Soup Kitchen.

The kitchen is open seven days a week from noon to 1 p.m., ready to serve those who need it. The service started back in 1985.

In December, the resource sees an increase in people.

“Partly because of the weather, it drives more focus to us,” said Manson. “Partly because folks are running out of money. Families that have very little to begin with wind up spending whatever they can for their families.”

The soup kitchen has churches, businesses and individuals come into volunteer.

Some people like Patsy Brown keep coming back every year. Brown has been volunteering for more than 18 years.

“We do have quite a few that come into volunteer, and it’s wonderful,” Brown said. “We couldn’t do it without them.”

Brown said that being able to serve those who come in is her favorite part, especially seeing those who come in regularly because she knows they need it.

“There are some who are here every single time I’ve been here for several years,” Brown said. “They do come up afterward and they tell us how grateful they are. They thank us and that type of thing.”

The Idaho Falls Soup Kitchen is only closed two days a year: Christmas and New Year’s Day.

“One of the things that we want to be able to allow the volunteers who serve on such a regular basis is a break to spend time with their own families and enjoy the holiday,” Manson said.

Manson said that those in need still can get dinner served by the Idaho Falls Rescue Mission on those days.

The Idaho Falls Soup Kitchen served 4,079 meals to a total of 3,235 individuals in November.