The
Capuchin Province of St. Joseph began its Detroit ministry
on Mt. Elliott Street in 1883 and developed a religious
mission to live and work among the poor. The friars
were offshoots of the Capuchin Order in Switzerland,
spiritual advisers and confessors who found a home in
the area of Detroit once known as Russell's Grove. It
was common to see the friars traveling via horse and
buggy. They would reach out to parishioners as far away
as Roseville - a trip that was then a whole day's journey.
Within a few years, the Capuchins built
the stately St. Bonaventure Monastery on Mt. Elliott
- purposely locating in a neighborhood where street
people were known to congregate. Soon word spread that
the Capuchins would help those in need, providing spiritual
counseling as well as a sandwich. In 1924, Solanus Casey,
a simple man - a simple priest - arrived at the monastery
and forever expanded its focus.
The Soup Kitchen got its official start
during the Great Depression of 1929, a period of devastating
national poverty that caused the poor of this Detroit
community to knock on the monastery's back door asking
for bread. "They are hungry; get them some soup
and sandwiches," Fr. Solanus was known to say to
the friars. In time the lines grew to more than 2,000
people waiting for their single meal of the day. The
friars knew they had to do more.
In response to the time's overwhelming
social needs, the friars turned to the men and women
of the Secular Franciscans and joined together with
them to collect food from farms, make soup, bake bread
and serve meals in the hall next to the monastery. From
these beginnings grew the Capuchin Soup Kitchen of today.
Those
we serve
We tailor our services to the needs
of our guests, whether chronic or temporary. Those who
find themselves in a chronically poor circumstance typically
lack effective support systems to overcome problems
such as mental illness, substance abuse, physical disabilities,
emotional instability, little or no education, and low
self-esteem.
Others served are known as the "working
poor"; they have some of the skills necessary to
survive but are limited by income, education, and available
resources. Many hold jobs that pay only minimum wage,
or are employed in seasonal work that is not available
to them through an entire year. Sadly, food is often
a "luxury item" for these families. They are
able to pay rent and utilities, but their meager budgets
do not provide for the simple necessities of clothing
and food.
Our
services:
The services provided by the Capuchin
Soup Kitchen include:
2,000 hot meals are frequently served each day at our
two locations
About 300,000
pounds of food distributed per month to families
About 30,000 articles of clothing
given to clients per month
More than 500 pieces of furniture
and appliances given to families each month
Showers and a change of clothing
for up to 30 homeless and poorly housed persons per
day
Jefferson House, a substance abuse
treatment program servicing up to 12 indigent men
A children's library and art therapy
studio serving up to 800 children per month
