Soup Kitchen

Today 5 of us - Marianne, Paige, Jenna, Calvin, and Wes - were blessed by the opportunity to work at the Pueblo Community Soup Kitchen (PCSK). The soup kitchen was founded by Rev. Bob Haberman in 1976. Miss Zola (pictured next to Wes), now 94 and still the director of PCSK after many many years, had a vision of serving the hungry in the Pueblo area and started cooking meals and volunteering at the soup kitchen very early in its existence. With a few volunteers delivering soup and sandwiches to St. Anthony's Church, the first meal was served just before Thanksgiving of 1976. After quite a fight with residents and businesses in the area, the soup kitchen moved to its current site - a facility designed and built specifically for the soup kitchen - at the corner of 6th and Greenwood in 1991. Miss Zola was quoted as saying "We don't approach a project as IF we can do this, but as we are GOING to do this". Miss Zola was accompanied by her daughter Myrtle for many years, until her passing, at the soup kitchen. Next to Miss Zola in the picture is Miss Rosie, who has been working at the soup kitchen for over 30 years herself and at the young age of 91 still currently works there every day. She told me this morning living alone would be "boring" if she stayed at home all the time, so she chooses to serve others daily. If I heard her correctly, she has 14 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren. Wow!

Today we served between 80-100 lunches, received a number of shipments - one VERY large shipment from the convention center, re-packaged, organized, and stored all the food, washed more dishes that I ever want to see again in my life!, and had some wonderful moments we were able to listen and share the stories of Miss Zola, Miss Rosie, Miss Violet, Miss Carolyn, and many of the "clients" they serve.

Hats off to Miss Zola and the whole gang at Pueblo Community Soup Kitchen for the wonderful job they do at serving those in need in the Pueblo area.

Wes