Hot meals, clothing, shoes and toiletries were distributed in record time to the more than 100 guests we served on 33rd Street in Manhattan during last night’s soup run. We arrived at our location to be greeted by a long line of people who had been patiently waiting for us for nearly an hour. Lemon chicken, rice and vegetables along with snacks, fruit, coffee and the ever-popular hot chocolate with whipped cream were on the menu.
Our bins were overflowing with coats and other clothing and it seemed as if it took only 30 minutes to give away all that we had. Volunteers also provided underwear, socks and several bins of men’s shoes and sneakers – every single item was accepted with sincere appreciation.
The evening was lively and busy, with many volunteers giving out food, listening to and talking with our guests. We were particularly touched by Collette, an elderly woman from Brooklyn. She was introduced to us by a formerly homeless guest who now serves with us every month. Collette quietly told us that she has an apartment but has no furniture and has been sleeping on the floor for months. She asked if we have any furniture, particularly a bed, that we could give her. We promised to bring her an air mattress, pillow and linens next month. Asking Collette to hang in there and sleep on the floor for another month was a difficult conversation but she is appreciative and happy to know that we will be there for her next month.
As our monthly outreach continues to grow, we were honored to be joined last night by Philoptochos members from The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church (NYC), parishioners from St. George Greek Orthodox Church (NYC) and business colleagues of our volunteers. A special group of parishioners and the minister of New Bethel Way of the Cross Church (Harlem) brought numerous purses and backpacks filled with toiletry items earmarked specifically for our women guests. The generously filled bags were assembled during the church’s “Purses for a Purpose” drive and they were so very much appreciated by the women.
Thank you to the many in our community and beyond who so generously support, through their actions and their offerings, the mission of the Soup Run. This month’s outreach was made possible by:
- Claud Karram for sponsoring
- Manny Louros and Zachary Karounos for preparing the meals
- Minos Samoladas for his donation which enables us to purchase much-needed socks and underwear
- Denise Bendo for supporting the Blue Door Thrift shop in Mt. Vernon, and purchasing several large bags of clothing
- Phoebe Malles of Lippe Taylor Integrated Marketing Communications Agency for hundreds of women’s toiletry items
- The Philoptochos of Annunciation, New York City for their donation of socks and men’s underwear
- The parishioners from New Bethel Way of the Cross Church in Harlem for purse donations from their “Purses for a Purpose” drive
- Irene Drivas tote bags and clothing
- John Dos Santos and Charles Calomiris for bins of men’s shoes
- Constance and Georgeann Mavrovitis and Cynthia Herzegovitch for organizing the clothing and toiletries
- The Philoptochos and the Holy Trinity, New Rochelle, community
Please join us next month on April 18th (schedule change due to Easter). All are welcome and donations of seasonal clothing, tote bags, socks and underwear are appreciated.
When we first set up our tables, food and clothing on the sidewalk, one of New York’s finest stopped by to ask what we were doing. He had a nice conversation with Fr. Andrew and asked us to keep a portion of the street clear for the NYPD canine vehicles that were parked outside Madison Square Garden. At the end of the evening, the officer asked, “How’d you do tonight?” We thanked him for allowing us to serve on the sidewalk and double park our cars. He said, “How could we not, you’re taking care of people.” 
Our dedicated group of 15 volunteers distributed 120 chicken dinners, coats and blankets to our guests on the street and in Penn Station during Last Night’s Soup Run. The 13-degree temperature did not deter our serving because our guests still need to eat. We arrived at our spot on 33rd Street in Manhattan to a group who had assembled and was awaiting our arrival. Given the frigid weather, many of the homeless were not outside so we found them in Penn Station. The minute we began handing out meals, scarves and hats, others approached and we were able to feed a good number of hungry souls.
At the end of the evening, we had several coats and toiletry kits remaining so we stopped by the Olivieri Drop-In Center, run by the Coalition for the Homeless, and offered the items to them. The Center, a storefront space with metal folding chairs and tables, was over capacity and turned away others who were looking for a place to sleep for the night while we were there. The Center Manager knew we were the group from New Rochelle because he has heard that we serve on Thursdays.
During last night’s soup run, we served 125 complete meals – turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, rolls, snacks and juice – to our guests in New York City who were waiting for us when our caravan of cars filled with 22 volunteers and an abundance of cold weather gear arrived on 33rd Street.
As we were packing up and just about to leave, we noticed a man, Jose, settling in for the night on steps nearby. Jose had a grocery cart with a few personal belongings in them and a small blanket that he was pulling over him. We see many homeless on the soup run and throughout New York City who sleep on the street but it really struck us to see this man getting ready to spend a cold and breezy night outside. Racing back to our cars, we searched for any remaining blankets. Miraculously, there was one large afghan in a car. We put it on Jose and gave him a hat, scarf, gloves and toiletries. He thanked us. We were amazed that we had one last blanket to provide.
The soup run is a demonstration of love, compassion and commitment from the many volunteers and supporters who come together every month to share their time, talent and treasures. Our volunteers go above and beyond and last night was no different. One volunteer chose to spend her birthday serving the homeless instead of attending a celebratory dinner and another volunteer delivered bags of clothing even though it was the day after her father passed away.
