soup kitchen
Sign in to saveAlso known as community feeding center, meal center, food kitchen
place where food is available at no cost as a charity
~15 min read
Encyclopedic overview
A soup kitchen, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 1931 A soup kitchen, food kitchen, or meal center is a place where food is offered to hungry and homeless people, usually for no cost, or sometimes at below-market price (such as coin donations). 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.
Historically, soup kitchens served soup, stew and bread. In 2026, soup kitchens, community kitchens, and meal centers serve various foods.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “soup kitchen” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.