Sue McBrayer, Carroll County's Soup Kitchen Board Secretary, answers some questions about the services the Carroll County Soup Kitchen provides for those needing assistance with means in Carroll County.

How long has the Carroll County Soup Kitchen been providing assistance to residents of Carroll County?
The Carroll County Soup Kitchen has been providing assistance to Carroll County residents since 1982.

What types of services does the Carroll County Soup Kitchen provide?
The Soup Kitchen provides a nourishing lunch from 11 a.m. until noon every Monday and Thursday as well as Monday through Friday of the last complete week of each month. In addition during Soup Kitchen Week, we send sandwich and soup meals (3 servings plus desserts and milk) daily to about 160 shut-ins, and those who eat lunch at the SK may take a bag with sandwiches and soup home every day.

In December we do not serve meals, but we do provide a variety of food (ham, sugar, corn meal, fresh oranges, fresh potatoes, and canned goods) to residents who have qualified to receive this food.

On average, how many meals do you serve a week? (Because we serve only two days some weeks and five days once a month, I've given you the figures for monthly averages.)

We served an average of 760 hot meals per month in 2011 (January through November), and 4,240 sandwich/soup meals (3 servings each) per month. (8,356 hot meals in 2011 and 46,640 individual sandwich/soup meals in 2011)

Where does the food and funding come from to keep the kitchen running?

The majority of our funding comes from donations by individuals, churches, civic clubs, and businesses. Monetary donations may be sent to the Soup Kitchen at PO Box 2457, Carrollton, GA 30112. We also received a grant last year from walmart.com, which enabled us to start serving meals every Monday and Thursday. We have received grants from the Community Foundation of West Georgia in past years. We purchase some of our food from local businesses and some from the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Much of the food we use for preparing and serving lunches is purchased locally. We also use food donated by individuals and through food drives--especially in December.

Does the soup kitchen ever hold any fundraisers?

The Soup Kitchen has one fundraiser. The last Sunday in February is the Empty Bowls event, sponsored by our local Artists' Guild. These wonderful community artists hold workshops throughout the year for interested persons to create clay bowls. On Empty Bowls Sunday, held at the Ag-Ed Center, everyone is invited to purchase a bowl for a $10 donation and enjoy soup made by local chefs--both professional and amateur. In addition, you may browse the boutique and select many one-of-a-kind items and bid on items donated by local (and some not-so-local) artists in the silent auction. Several of the out-of-town artists who participate in MeccaFest donate beautiful pieces for Empty Bowls.

Is anything required of residents who receive meals there?

There are no qualifications to meet to enjoy a meal at the Soup Kitchen. Residents must qualify to receive the food given out in December, but that is the only time there is a restriction.

Where do your volunteers come from and do you ever suffer from a lack of volunteers?

We are truly blessed in this community to have so many people willing to help others! Our volunteers come from churches, civic organizations, schools, and businesses; mostly, they are just people who want to give back to their community by helping those in need. We generally have a full complement of volunteers for every Soup Kitchen day!

Does the Carroll County Soup Kitchen work with any other charities in providing residents with meals or other help?

We do keep a list of food banks and other organizations that can offer assistance to those who ask for extra help. We encourage those who need more than our hot meals to contact one of the many places throughout the county that can help them.

If someone would like to receive assistance from the Carroll County Soup Kitchen, what should they do? 

If someone is hungry, all that person needs to do is show up at the Soup Kitchen on any day we are serving meals. All are welcome! The Soup Kitchen is located at 345 Beulah Church Road in Carrollton.

If someone would like to volunteer at the soup kitchen or donate, what should they do?

Anyone who wants to volunteer should simply show up at the Soup Kitchen at about 8:30 on any day we serve hot meals. The dates and times are listed on our website.