I volunteer feeding the homeless in my spare time.
That is amazing! A lot of soup kitchens are in lower-income neighborhoods and rely on volunteers like you.
How do soup kitchens obtain their food?
They usually get it from a food bank at a discounted price.
Do most soup kitchens only serve soup, or other food items as well?
Many soup kitchens only serve soup and bread, but some serve other foods.
What are the origins of the soup kitchen?
Many historical and typical modern soup kitchens serve only soup (hence its name), usually with some bread. But several establishments which refer to themselves as a "soup kitchen" also serve other types of food, so social scientists sometimes discuss them together with similar hunger relief agencies that provide more varied hot meals, like food kitchens and meal centers.
While societies have been using various methods to share food with the hungry for millennia, the first soup kitchens in the modern sense may have emerged in the late 18th century
Soup kitchen
A soup kitchen, meal center, or food kitchen is a place where food is offered to the hungry usually for free or sometimes at a below-market price. Frequently located in lower-income neighborhoods, soup kitchens are often staffed by volunteer organizations, such as church or community groups. Soup kitchens sometimes obtain food from a food bank for free or at a low price, because they are considered a charity, which makes it easier for them to feed the many people who require their services.