Soup Kitchen

The Village Temple soup kitchen has been proudly serving free meals to the homeless and needy every Saturday since 1987. Some of our guests live in the neighborhood and some come from other areas of the city.  We take great pride in providing a healthy lunch which includes hot soup, sandwiches, fruit, etc.  The soup kitchen operations are funded by grants and contributions.

Soup kitchen food preparation takes place every Saturday morning between 9:30 am and 12:00 pm.  Volunteers chop vegetables for the soup, make sandwiches, bag cookies and cutlery.  Children often volunteer and chop vegetables as well as bag items.  

One hundred bagged lunches are distributed to our guests at the door of the Village Temple by New York Cares between 12 noon and 2:00pm.  Additional  lunches are brought to the East Village free refrigerator.  Food scraps are bagged and brought to the Union Square compost center.  

Everyone who works in the Village Temple soup kitchen is a volunteer. Whether a member of the temple or a neighbor, our volunteers are a multi-generational group.   By helping 10,000 needy people each year, the Village Temple soup kitchen serves an important and meaningful role in our community.   You are welcome to join us on any Saturday morning.  To volunteer or ask questions please email villagetemple@villagetemple.org.