Today Appears to be Last Day for Pottsville Soup Kitchen

It appears today is likely the last day meals are served at the Pottsville Area Soup Kitchen.

While the closure had been expected since June, the announcement came suddenly and via press release at 7:16 p.m. Wednesday.

Catholic Charties Managing Director Andrea Neagle said Wednesday that starting next week, the Catholic Charities Community Café food truck will start serving meals in Pottsville three times a week, across from St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church on Mahantongo St. 

The dates for the three meal services next week will be Sept. 30, Oct. 2, and Oct. 3. Meals will be served from 4-5 p.m.

After next week, Neagle says, “Dates and times for future weeks will be announced well in advance so everyone can know when they can get a meal.”

In announcing the times and dates for the food truck service in Pottsville, Neagle says in her statement statement, “With this change, the former soup kitchen on Mahantongo Street will close.”

So, we’re presuming that with the start of the food truck service on Monday, the soup kitchen won’t be open then unless Catholic Charities has both locations operational next week.

The change from the soup kitchen also brings what Catholic Charities is calling “expanded meal service” to other areas of Schuylkill County through the food truck.

The food truck is slated to serve meals in 10 areas across the county, but a formal schedule has not been announced. Those areas include Ashland, Frackville, Mahanoy City, McAdoo, Minersville, New Philadelphia, Ringtown, Sheppton, Tamaqua, and Tremont.

Earlier this year, Coal Region Canary was the first to report on the expected closure of the soup kitchen on Mahantongo St. 

We spoke with long-time volunteers and those served by the soup kitchen on what the closure would mean to them and the community. 

Mostly, people will miss the meal service four times a week. This new schedule for the food truck reduces that number to three meals per week. 

It also removes a place in the city where the hungry had a place to gather and rest their feet, warm up on a cold day, or cool off on a hot one. 

The Pottsville Area Soup Kitchen served its first meal in March 1984. Today, it serves between 70-100 meals on Monday through Thursday. 

Terry Alexander, who runs the Pottsville Area Soup Kitchen, was unavailable to go on the record regarding this announcement.

READ MORE:

• Meal Service to Stop at Pottsville Soup Kitchen Sometime This Summer
• Patrons Say Pottsville Soup Kitchen is Like Family
• Soup Kitchen Volunteers from Hydro Wonder What Patrons Will Do for Meals
• Schuylkill Commissioners Appeal to Allentown Diocese Over Potential Loss of Pottsville Soup Kitchen