The MOBILE SOUP KITCHEN - Disaster Unit vehicle is part of our ongoing effort to enhance and expand the faith community and the general community’s capacity to reduce hunger and homelessness. We provide tangible emergency relief, on an ongoing basis, to this identified high-risk populations in our county.
Ninety Nine percent of all the food used to feed the low income and needy among us through our Anti-Hunger Programs is donated. Volunteers from faith communities, organizations, clubs, corporations and individuals helped prepare and serve the meals. God Bless them all!
DRIVERS
SERVERS
COOKS
Greg and Linda Breck
We choose to call it a Mobile Community Drop-in-Center.
The MOBILE SOUP KITCHEN also serves as a vehicle to provide an array of direct services such as:
We are building capacity in the community by linking the clients served with the many programs and resources available.
ANOTHER DREAM COME TRUE
Established March 4, 1998
Original Vehicle Cost $2,000
SS Paul W. Armstrong $10,000
SS Senator Walter J. Kavanaugh $80,000
OVER 90,000 MEALS SERVED WITH A FOOD BUDGET OF $0.00, ALL THROUGH YOUR DONATIONS
The feeding sites and schedule for the MSK are:
MONDAYSaint Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church 41 Manning AvenueNorth Plainfield5:30 to 6:30 PM TUESDAYSaint Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church 1st & 3rd (Tuesday)41 Manning AvenueNorth Plainfield5:30 to 6:30 PM WEDNESDAYUnited Reformed Church2nd & 4th (Wednesday) 100 West Main StreetSomerville5:30 to 6:30 PM Saint Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church 1st & 3rd (Wednesday) 41 Manning AvenueNorth Plainfield5:30 to 6:30 PM THURSDAYSacred Heart Roman Catholic ChurchParking lot behind church on Main StreetManville6:00 to 7:00 PM FRIDAYSaint Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church 41 Manning AvenueNorth Plainfield5:30 to 6:30 PMSaint Bernard Roman Catholic Church in Bridgewater serves as our "Home-Port" and dry dock.
Volunteer Crews from Saint Bernard Roman Catholic Church in Bridgewater operate the vehicle on every Thursday and the 2nd and 4 and 5th Wednesdays year round. (see below)
THE VOLUNTEER CREWS SERVING ON SHIP's MOBILE SOUP KITCHEN HAVE SERVED OVER 215,000 MEALS AND PROVIDED OVER 30,000 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER SERVICE TO THOSE IN NEED OF A MEAL IN OUR REGION.
Volunteers from Church of the Immaculate Conception in Somerville serve meals on the 1st and 3rd Mondays, year round. Kerri Cummins serves as the volunteer Crew Coordinator. Jack Wentzell and his daughter Nicholina serve as Mobile Soup Kitchen Operator and Crew Member.
Volunteers from Immaculata High School Campus Ministry operate the vehicle on the 2nd and 4th Mondays each month during the school year. Richard Grieshaber and the students of Immaculata High School Campus Ministry form the volunteer crew and special thanks to Helen Sanford - Director of Campus Ministry at the school.
Volunteers from Temple Sholom in Bridgewater operate the Mobile Soup Kitchen on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Tuesdays of each month, in North Plainfield. Richard Skydell is the Crew Leader.
Volunteers from the Saint Martin's Episcopal Church in Bridgewater pilot the mobile soup kitchen on the 3rd Wednesday of the month in Somerville.
Volunteer Crews from Saint Bernard of Clairveaux Roman Catholic Church in Bridgewater operate the vehicle on every Thursday and the 2nd and 4 and 5th Wednesdays, year round. (See below)
Volunteers from the Saint Vincent De Paul Society at Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in North Plainfield serve meals every Friday. Jeff La Cross serves as Captain for the group.
First MSK SS P. White Armstrong SS Senator Walter J. Kavanaugh
"OPERATION HELP FEED AMERICA'S HEROES"
WORLD TRADE CENTER - GROUND ZERO
During the aftermath of the World Trade Center disaster of 9-11-2001, SHIP once again responded to the call for help from the Emergency Service Units Command Center at Ground Zero. We provided over 10,000 gourmet meals to the uniformed service workers. The Mobile Soup Kitchen - Disaster Unit visited the red zone in Ground Zero every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from October 2001 to mid January 2002. Police, Fire Departments, EMS Units and OEM Units from throughout Somerset County escorted the Mobile Soup Kitchen - Disaster Unit and support vehicles, carrying volunteers to the site each time we served meals. Tom thru SHIP raised $75,000.00 and spent more to cover the cost of operations
Tom O'Leary, SHIP’s Executive Director was presented with awards paid for by donations contributed by the men whose job it was to search through the remains of the World Trade Center looking for the bodies of the dead. These American Heroes served with the Special Service Unit - NYPD, Special Service Unit - Department of Corrections and the NY State Troopers working in the recovery process in recognition of the service to the workers at Ground Zero. They called Tom and SHIP an "Oasis in the Desert." Tom was also presented with a metal crosses cut from the metal remains of Tower I and Tower II in memory of his service and in memory of his cousin Charles "Chuck" Mendez, NYFD who perished in the attack.
MOBILE SOUP KITCHEN - DISASTER UNIT’s
response to
Hurricane Floyd 1999
During the aftermath of the recent Hurricane Floyd the Mobile Soup Kitchen Disaster Unit responded to the call for emergency meals. The Crews provided over 5,600 meals to the displaced county residents in need. The meals were provided to emergency shelters and feeding sites in Somerville, Bound Brook, South Bound Brook and Manville. The vehicle and crews worked every day for the first fourteen days after the disaster struck.
Donations received totaled $11,606.94. Payments were made to 26 families or individuals affected by the disaster. The payments varied from a low of $250.00 to a high of $1,000.00. The output of funds surpassed the donations received. More than 2,000 thousands of personal items and household items were distributed and over 1,000 pieces of new clothing were also distributed to those in need.
Meals are served Monday through Friday in the evenings. The following feeding sites have been secured within target communities to be used as daily meal distribution points.
This one stop shopping approach would help locate and expose an often sick and difficult population to reach to the array of programs and life saving services available to those in need in our region.
DONATIONS ARE NEEDED TO HELP COVER THE COST OF:
SHIP receives a grant in the amount of $25,000 per year from Somerset County. These funds are used to help pay for one part time Mobile Soup Kitchen support person. This person makes sure the vehicle is supplied and ready for service when the volunteers arrive.
DONATIONS ARE NEEDED TO HELP COVER THE COST OF:
Holiday Meals Volunteer Information:
Serving the community since 1984
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About SHIP
At SHIP we create programs and services that increase the Somerset County and surrounding regions capacity to respond to the needs of the poor and working poor.
Since March 5, 1984 We have served over 150,000 people.
Community Service Projects
Medical Services