On Feb. 1, 1984, St. Susan Center served its first meal of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup to a handful of guests. Less than 30 people received meals from the soup kitchen during that first week.
Twenty-eight years later, St. Susan Center celebrated its birthday Wednesday, serving hundreds of area residents cake and other lunchtime options.
"The amount of meals we serve speaks for itself," said Sue Colwell, St. Susan Center executive director. "Where would people go for a meal if it wasn't for St. Susan Center? There's a foundation that has been built over the years, and we're continuing to build. We keep meeting the need."
The soup kitchen served a record 95,000 meals in 2011, surpassing its 2010 total by 10,000 and 2009 numbers by 15,000. On Tuesday alone, St. Susan Center served 484 meals. After high levels of guest traffic in January, the center expects another record year.
"Does that mean 105,000 meals this year?" Colwell asked. "That takes a lot of everything. If we served 484 meals (Tuesday), what does that mean for July during our busiest time of year?"
The kitchen's meal numbers typically increase during the summer months when children don't have school. In anticipation of more guests walking through the center's doors, Colwell, her staff and volunteers hope to draw in community support prior to the busiest months of year. That hasn't been a problem in years past. Organizations, community members and volunteers have donated time and money to St. Susan Center, allowing it to achieve its goals.
"We wouldn't have our doors open if it wasn't for the volunteers and the food donations and the monetary donations that keep us going," Colwell said. "In November, financially, it looked like we were going to have a really hard time, but the community found out about it and came through."
The center, its employees, volunteers and board of directors offer guests more than just food. They interact with the area residents who come through the kitchen's doors.
"At St. Susan's, we believe that if someone is hungry, that's their major issue," said Richard Fleurant, of St. Susan's board of directors. "
They might be in crisis mode, and they might have other factors playing in their lives. (But) if someone is hungry, they won't address those other issues until they have a hot meal. Time and time again, as Sue and some of our volunteers have seen, when you sit down with the guests and talk to them about their walk and their journey, you learn about some of the struggles that they have. You can start to help address those issues."
From interacting with guests, Fleurant knows that each area resident who eats at the soup kitchen is different from the next. During recent economic struggles, some area residents have visited the center for the first time.
As the number of area residents who use St. Susan Center rises, employees and volunteers plan to focus on what they feel matters most to guests.
Fleurant and Colwell said the kitchen's food quality has improved over time. Guests don't always receive soup and sandwiches as they did in 1984.
"We want the St. Susan's experience to be a pleasant one," Fleurant said. "We're proud of serving healthy, good-quality meals. There's a touch of love in every plate and every dish that goes out."
