Visit PTown's Fantastic Soup Kitchen

Volunteers at Provincetown's Soup Kitchen serve up nearly
100 meals a day from November through April each year.

The Soup Kitchen in Provincetown (SKIP) serves a hot lunch every weekday from the first Monday in November through the last Friday in April. The project began many years ago when some local folks noticed there were a number of people essentially living on the beach at the edge of the harbor, sleeping under overturned boats. I met a woman years ago who began, with a group
of people, seeking solutions and community resources to help.
They found there were also many who had housing but were perhaps a bit short on money for groceries in long winter seasons when so many of us have little or no income. And they also found many who would benefit greatly from simply feeling a sense of community, with a place to gather, socialize a bit, and merely spend some time with friends in the midst of a community where it's easy to feel isolated and alone in the off-season.
Eventually, in 1992, the Soup Kitchen in Provincetown was founded, was housed in a few different spots through the years, and finally, a number of years ago, settled into what seems to be its permanent home at the Provincetown United Methodist Church, found at 10 Shank Painter Road . SKIP has evolved into a wonderful, welcoming spot where people from every corner of Provincetown, and from all walks of life, gather for a meal and a bit of fellowship throughout the winter months. Visit the SKIP website and you'll find that their goal is “to provide nutritious and healthy meals in a welcoming and warm atmosphere for all individuals on the Outer Cape who are either in need or seek community.” Several folks come to Provincetown for lunch, from Truro and Wellfleet, and beyond, and all are welcome. In 2013, SKIP served about 11,000 meals, at no charge, to Outer Cape folks from many towns.

A recent Soup Kitchen meal included roasted tomato soup,
Quiche Lorraine with herb roasted potatoes, a green salad,
roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, and the Soup
Kitchen's famous carrot cake for dessert. Fantastic! 

The Soup Kitchen has dozens of volunteers who prepare all those meals, serve them, and then clean up afterwards. Donations of food come from local businesses and residents, and occasionally, for example, fishermen will bring in bushels of clams or crates of fresh fish. Call 508 487-8331 to arrange a donation of food, or you can send a check to SKIP, Post Office Box 538, Provincetown, MA 02657. Visit their website to receive a card acknowledging your donation if you print a donation form and mail it in with your check. You can also donate there directly from your existing PayPal account. SKIP is a 501(c)3 organization and all donations are fully tax deductible.
Whether or not you make a donation, come for lunch at the Soup Kitchen soon. Friday, April 25th, will be their last day for this season. And make sure you mark your calendar for May 3rd, 2014, and save the date for a wonderful SKIP fundraiser at the Crown & Anchor. There will be a gourmet dinner and a concert by Well Strung, the fabulous, sexy, singing string quartet whose amazing instrumental and vocal talents span every conceivable genre of music from classical to hip-hop, from Beethoven to Beyonce, and you won't want to miss this very special event. Call SKIP at 508 487-8331 for reservations. Your support, as always, is greatly appreciated.