Formation | 1929 |
---|---|
Founders | Solanus Casey, OFM, Cap. and Herman Buss, OFM, Cap. |
Type | Nonprofit |
Purpose | Humanitarian |
Headquarters | 1820 Mount Elliot St. Detroit, MI |
Executive Director | Br. Gary Wegner, OFM, Cap. |
Parent organization | Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph |
Affiliations | Gleaners Community Food Bank Detroit Agricultural Network |
Website | cskdetroit |
The Capuchin Soup Kitchen (CSK) is a religiously affiliated soup kitchen and non-profit organization located in Detroit, Michigan. [1] It was founded by the Capuchin friars to provide food for the poor during the Great Depression and is sponsored by the Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph. [2] While it was initially established as a soup kitchen, CSK now includes a food and clothing bank, a drug rehabilitation program, and an after school and summer youth program. [3] [2] Through its various ministries CSK serves approximately 560,000 individuals each year. [4]
The Capuchin Soup Kitchen was founded in 1929 by Capuchin friars Solanus Casey and Herman Buss. [5] CSK was started in order to address the needs of Detroit's poor population during the Great Depression. [6] The friars at St. Bonaventure Monastery initially established the kitchen informally by providing food from their own stores, as was the expectation in their order. [7] As the porter of the monastery, Casey would provide each person who came seeking assistance with a cup of coffee and a sandwich. [8]
The line outside of the Capuchin Monastery eventually grew up to 2,000 people each day, making it infeasible for the friars to serve everyone from the monastery kitchen. [9] Herman Buss, who served as the spiritual director for the Secular Franciscans, requested their assistance in creating a formal soup kitchen. [10] With the Franciscans' help the friars were able to move their services into the Third Order Hall facility located next to the monastery chapel. [11] The Capuchin Soup Kitchen first officially opened its doors on November 2, 1929. [5] Buss was appointed the first director of the soup kitchen while Casey continued to serve the monastery as porter. [5] Capuchin friar Mathias Nack, OFM, Cap., the guardian of St. Bonaventure Monastery, took over the position of director in 1933. In order to sustain the work being done at CSK the Capuchin Charity Guild was created in 1942 to raise funds for the soup kitchen. [10]
The Capuchin Soup Kitchen has moved from the Third Order Hall and currently has two facilities for its meal program. In the 1970s, the soup kitchen expanded its services to include Jefferson House, a drug rehabilitation program for indigent men. [3] In 2006, Raymond Stadmeyer, OFM, Cap., helped to create the R.O.P.E (Reaching Our Potential Everyday) Program associated with the Capuchin Soup Kitchen's On the Rise Bakery. [12] On November 18, 2017 the Capuchin Soup Kitchen's Co-founder Solanus Casey, OFM, Cap., was beatified at Ford Field with 60,000-70,000 people in attendance. [13]
There are seven distinct programs within the Capuchin Soup Kitchen. The programs are designed to meet the different needs of Detroit's underprivileged communities. [14]
The Capuchin Soup Kitchen has two sites which serve 2,000 meals a day, the Jefferson House site and the On The Rise Bakery site. [14]
The Meldrum soup kitchen was started in 1929 by Solanus Casey, OFM, Cap. during the Great Depression, making it the first program launched by the Capuchin Soup Kitchen. [15] It is located one block from the original soup kitchen location on Mt. Elliot and is handicap accessible. [16] [17] Those using the service are mostly poor men and the kitchen serves approximately 600 meals a day. [14]
The Conner Kitchen was opened in early 1998 and serves working families and seniors. [17] One-third of its meals are served to children 12 and under. [14]
On the Rise Bakery is run by members of the Capuchin's ROPE (Reaching Our Potential Everyday) program which assists participants in learning marketable skills. [18] The bakery proceeds are spent on housing, training, counseling and other services for ROPE participants. Each member is responsible for supporting and mentoring newer additions through the program and the bakery. [19]
Earthworks Urban Farm was founded in 1997. [20] Located near the headquarters of the Capuchin Franciscans, the farm consists in eight gardens spread over 20 city blocks. [21] Earthworks produce vegetables, small fruits, tree fruits, herbs and cut flowers which help to provide meals for the needy people serviced by the Capuchin Soup Kitchen. [22] The farm also sells some products to the farmers market, Grown In Detroit Co-op, and at health clinics. [22] Earthworks use their own harvested berries to make jam to help raise funds for CSK. [23]
The Capuchin Services Center assists 228,000 of Detroit neighbors annually with emergency food and clothing. [24] They distribute food and basic necessity-of-life items to poor people based on their family size. They also distribute furniture and clothing. [24]
Jefferson House is a twelve-bed residential treatment facility for substance abuse which accommodates poverty-stricken males seeking to reclaim their lives from addiction.
Rosa Parks Children's Program caters children from 6–12 years old to enhance their art skills and reading skills. [26] They host a Summer Peace Camp which is a 3-week program where they teach children on channelizing their energy by learning how to cope with violence through art, music, and dance. [27]
Spiritual Care provides spiritual health services for those who seek the spiritual guidance of St. Francis of Assisi. [28]
To assist in raising funds and to enlist volunteer workers to support its programs and services, Capuchin Soup Kitchen has partnered with several international, national, and regional businesses. [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] They have also received government and business grants in support of their agricultural and legal programs. [35] [36] [37] [38] Additionally, the CSK is affiliated with other Detroit-based non-profit organizations that primarily support their soup kitchen and agricultural programs. [39] [40]
Between 2005 and 2014, corporate automobile companies such as General Motors (GM), Chrysler Group, and Ford Motor Company and/or their executive leadership made significant monetary contributions to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen. These contributions facilitated the organization by providing various food, career training, basic quality of life services and programs to needy Detroit citizens. These companies have offered incentives to their employees to encourage them to volunteer at the CSK. [29] [30] [31] [32] [33]
In 2013, the Capuchin Soup Kitchen partnered with the Bob Evans Restaurant brand, a subsidiary of Bob Evans Inc., who helped to pay for the renovation of the CSK's Conner Avenue facility, home of the Rosa Parks Children and Youth Program. [41]
In July 2016, DTE Energy and DNV GL partnered with the Capuchin Soup Kitchen for an energy-efficiency project where DNV GL donated energy-efficient commercial ovens, fryers, a dishwasher, natural gas, water heaters and LED lighting to the charity in an effort to reduce energy costs. [42] In 2009, the DTE Energy Foundation donated $36,074 to the CSK from funds raised during their annual holiday fund-raising drive. [43]
Capuchin Soup Kitchen has received food donations as a community partner of the Kroger company who sponsors the Zero Hunger Zero Waste Program. [44] [45]
Sponsorship of the Capuchin Souper Summer Celebration by the Michigan-based business, Ahee Jewelry Co. raised approximately $3.5 million for the charity between 1981 and 2001. [46]
Since 1976, Buddy's Pizza, a Detroit area restaurant chain, has hosted the annual “Slice for Life” fundraiser in support of CSK raising over $3 million for the charity. [47] [48] [49] [50]
The Detroit radio station WMGC-FM (105.1) hosts the annual Capuchin Soup Kitchen Radiothon which raises money every year in support of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen. [51]
In 2003, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Secretary awarded a $150,000 grant to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen for a project that served to advance urban agriculture in Detroit through home and community gardens which includes tiling services, seed saving, seedling production, gardening workshops, community tool banks, resource centers, and model gardens. [35]
In February 2016, The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan approved a $50,000 grant to the CSK to support a partnership providing free legal services to the homeless. [37]
In October 2016, Mahindra North American Technical Center awarded a $12,500 grant to the CSK Earthworks Urban Farm Agriculture Training Program to support a nine-month program to train urban farmers and food entrepreneurs. [36] [38]
Gleaners Community Food Bank in Detroit (a non-profit food bank), provides tons of food to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen every month in support of their soup kitchen operations. [39]
The Capuchin Soup Kitchen is part of the Detroit Agricultural Network, a partnership between The Greening of Detroit, Earthworks Capuchin Soup Kitchen and Michigan State University Extension, through which its Detroit Garden Resource Program provides families and community gardeners with low-cost seeds, compost and classes. [40]
In 2001, a former Capuchin Soup Kitchen Financial Director, Francis Elias, and a former executive director of CSK, Lewis Hickson Jr., were found guilty of embezzling more than $800,000 between 1992 and 1996 from the organization. Elias was sentenced to two years in prison, two years of supervised release and issued a $25,000 fine while Hickson received 14 months in prison and two years of supervised release. Both men were ordered to repay $828,267 to CSK and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a contributor to the CSK food bank. [52]
The Capuchin Soup Kitchen serves men, women, and children that are homeless, poverty-stricken, or both. Volunteers and members live and work with the poor and aid all people regardless of race, sex, age, color, national origin, religious preference, handicap or level of income. [53] CSK also assists those who have been prisoners or addicts through On the Rise Bakery, offering counseling and educational opportunities. [53]
The organization has reported that they annually serve 560,000 individuals while also supplying 228,000 people with food and clothing in the Detroit area through programs and services. Approximately 2,000 hot meals are served each day and 300,000 pounds of groceries, 30,000 pieces of clothing, and over 500 pieces of furniture and appliances are given away to poor families every month. [4] Eight soup kitchens feed about 20,000 people per week. This is equivalent to about 1,500 meals a day or 300,000 hungry people a year who are in the Detroit area. This allows their clientele to be offered three meals a day, six times a week. [54] Earthworks provides and grows food for the CSK through three gardens on a 2.5 acre certified organic farm. [53] 160-180 families are served per day which is equal to 3,600 to 4000 families a month with the help of their partnerships with large food organizations. [55]
The Capuchin Soup Kitchen receives no government subsidiaries to support its programs and services therefore depending financially on donations and their revenue earned from their own programs such as On The Rise Bakery. [19] CSK's revenue was reported as $288,786 in 2018. [56]
The Capuchin Services Center functions similar to a grocery store where individuals in need are allotted free food and clothing depending on family size. It has reach-in freezers and coolers with bread racks and pastries. [55] Corporate business chains, Kroger groceries and Kohl's clothing stores have donated storage shelves, food and clothing racks, and suspension bars to the facility, which provides the center the look of a retail environment. [55]
Capuchin Soup Kitchen offers legal assistance to help those with issues such as traffic tickets, child support, landlord/tenant, and social security. [57] Volunteer attorneys, legal assistants and paralegals from Dykema, Kitch, Dickinson Wright, Jaffe, Clark & Schoenbeck, and Ford Motor Company's Office of General Counsel provide legal advice. [57] CSK's locations also have showers, and a change of clothing for the homeless/poor people for up to 30 days. [58] They also service up to 800 children a month with the use of the children's library and art therapy studio. [58]
The Franciscans are a group of related mendicant Christian religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi, these orders include three independent orders for men, orders for nuns such as the Order of Saint Clare, and the Third Order of Saint Francis open to male and female members. They adhere to the teachings and spiritual disciplines of the founder and of his main associates and followers, such as Clare of Assisi, Anthony of Padua, and Elizabeth of Hungary. Several smaller Protestant Franciscan orders exist as well, notably in the Anglican and Lutheran traditions.
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of three "First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant, the other being the Conventuals (OFMConv). Franciscans reformed as Capuchins in 1525 with the purpose of regaining the original Habit (Tunic) of St. Francis of Assisi and also for returning to a stricter observance of the rule established by Francis of Assisi in 1209.
A soup kitchen, food kitchen, or meal center 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.
DTE Energy is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services in the United States and Canada. Its operating units include an electric utility serving 2.2 million customers and a natural gas utility serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan.
DTE Electric Company was founded in 1886.
The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men founded in 1987. It follows the Capuchin Franciscan tradition.
Solanus Casey, OFM Cap, born Bernard Francis Casey, was an American religious priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. He was known during his lifetime as a healer for his great faith and his abilities as a spiritual counselor, but especially for his great attention to the sick, for whom he celebrated special Masses. The friar was much sought-after and revered, especially in Detroit, where he resided. He was also a noted lover of the violin, a trait he shared with his eponym, Saint Francis Solanus.
Saint Francis House is a nonprofit, nonsectarian, daytime shelter, primarily for the homeless, located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts, and founded in the early 1980s. It is the largest daytime shelter in New England and serves as an early model of such a center.
ITC Holdings Corporation is an American energy company which owns and operates high-voltage electricity transmission networks. Headquartered in Novi, Michigan, ITC has operations in Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canadian energy company Fortis Inc.
Benedict Joseph Groeschel, C.F.R. was an American Franciscan friar, Catholic priest, retreat master, author, psychologist, activist, and television host. He hosted the television talk program Sunday Night Prime on the Eternal Word Television Network, as well as several serial religious specials.
The St. Bonaventure Monastery is a complex of religious buildings, built for the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, located at 1740 Mt. Elliott Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
Jeremiah of Wallachia was a Romanian-born Capuchin lay brother who spent his entire adult life serving as an infirmarian of the Order in Italy. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 30 October 1983, the first of his nation to be so honored. Born Ion Costist or Ioan (John) Costişte, he emigrated to Naples during his adolescence. Also known as Geremia from Wallachia, he became noted for his careful attention to the merciful works and to the care of the poor. His vision of the Blessed Mother resulted in one of the best known images created of him.
Hazon Yeshaya Humanitarian Network was an Israeli charity organization, based in Jerusalem, that provided a number of services for impoverished Israelis, regardless of religious affiliation. The organization was founded by Abraham Israel in 1997.
The Church of Our Lady Queen of Angels is a former Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 228 East 113th Street in Manhattan, New York City.
Solar power in Michigan has been growing in recent years due to new technological improvements, falling solar prices and a variety of regulatory actions and financial incentives. The largest solar farm in Michigan is Assembly Solar, completed in 2022, which has 347 MW of capacity. Small-scale solar provided 50% of Michigan solar electricity as recently as 2020 but multiple solar farms in the 100 MW to 200 MW range are proposed to be completed by the middle of the decade. Although among the lowest U.S. states for solar irradiance, Michigan mostly lies farther south than Germany where solar power is heavily deployed. Michigan is expected to use 120 TWh per year in 2030. To reach a 100% solar electrical grid would require 2.4% of Michigan's land area to host 108 GW of installed capacity.
Charleszetta Waddles, also known as Mother Waddles, was an African-American activist, Pentecostal church minister, and founder of Mother Waddles Perpetual Mission, an independent church in Detroit that provides support, such as food, clothing and other basic services to Detroit's poor. She is listed in the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame for her contributions to Social Work and Mission Work in the Detroit area.
The University of Michigan Detroit Center is a community outreach center, meeting/events facility, and academic home base for University of Michigan units, located in Midtown Detroit.
World Central Kitchen (WCK) is a not-for-profit non-governmental organization devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. Founded in 2010 by chef José Andrés, the organization prepared food in Haiti following its devastating earthquake. Its method of operations is to be a first responder and then to collaborate and galvanize solutions with local chefs to solve the problem of hunger, immediately following a disaster.
La Soupe is a Cincinnati, Ohio, nonprofit organization that uses discarded food to produce meals and delivers them to other nonprofit agencies for distribution to people experiencing food insecurity.
Edward Bernard Foley, OFM Cap. is a Catholic priest, educator, preacher, theologian and author, and a member of the Capuchin Franciscan Order. He is also the Duns Scotus Professor Emeritus of Spirituality and Professor of Liturgy and Music at Catholic Theological Union, where he was the founding director of the Ecumenical Doctor of Ministry Program.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires |journal=
(help)