The Soup Kitchen was the first service offered by Bread of Life Ministries. Started in 1984 by some local area churches, it is located in the heart of the Capital at 157 Water Street in Augusta. The Soup Kitchen is more of a "full meal" kitchen in that it provides a complete, hot meal Monday through Saturday throughout the year.

     The Soup Kitchen has served over 35,000 meals in the last 12 months, and offers a small, but welcoming space to anyone seeking a hot meal, no questions asked. One paid staff person oversees the kitchen with the help of hundreds of volunteers.. Over 5,000 hours are volunteered each year helping with donation pickups, preparation, serving and cleaning.

     Feeding the hungry was the initial mission of Bread of Life Ministries, and continues to be a core service offered to our guests.

Statistics on Hunger in Maine:

• More than 40% of children under the age of 12 show some signs of hunger.

• Over 19,000 Maine children are hungry.

• 10% of Maine households experience food insecurity.

• Children living in households which experience hunger are more likely to have health or school-related problems.

• Adults are even more likely to experience hunger in low income homes.

• Adults in 4 out of 5 households surveyed indicated that they sacrificed for their children by eating less, skipping meals entirely, or by eating less nutritional foods.
   

     Several factors contribute to hunger in Maine; including income growth that is outpaced by cost of living, high level of under-employment, a widening gap between rich and poor, and the lack of consumer information on nutrition.
 

For questions about this service, please feel free to e-mail breadoflifeministries@msn.com. Thank you

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