New Hampshire Non-Profit Spotlight, Brought To You By Eaton & Berube Insurance
As I assembled this spotlight on the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter, I began my research on their website. If you’re unfamiliar with their non-profit organization, I recommend you start on the “About NSKS” page. There you will find a timeline of their history that’s truly impressive, and equally interesting. If fact, even if you are familiar with the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter, I would still recommend checking that out.
Since 1981, they’ve been an incredible organization with an incredible impact in our community. From year to year they strive to do more, to be more accessible, to offer more help.
Today, the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter provides services and support that meet the immediate needs of our neighbors in crisis. They provide them with food, shelter, financial resources, employment assistance, and ultimately – hope.
Their work is the stuff that takes a seemingly impossible situation, and makes it manageable again; Helping men, women, and children in our city who are at risk of getting caught in a cycle of homelessness and poverty.
I also had the pleasure of gaining insight from Carol Weeks for this spotlight. In the Q&A Below you’ll find options to support the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter, and more.
Question & Answer with Carol M. Weeks, Director of Communications, Events and Volunteers for the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter.
What has been your organization's biggest achievement in the past year?
During the past year, with COVID rampant and people staying home, the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter has been able to expand services to meet the needs of our community.
We are currently picking up orders 3 times a week from New Hampshire Food Bank. We were going only once a week. Our produce orders are 150% more than before COVID-19.
We have added 8 mobile pantries to try and bring fresh produce to those who can’t come to us. From January-December 2020, we distributed more than 155 tons of food through our Food Pantry and these mobile sites around our city. We are grateful to the Nashua YMCA for picking up the produce at our Soup Kitchen and bringing it to the designated sites. We thank the United Way of Greater Nashua for coordinating volunteers at each site to distribute items during this pandemic to those in need.
And we are humbled by our staff, who keep coming in every day to provide food and shelter to vulnerable individuals and families in the Greater Nashua Region in a dignified and sustainable manner.
Share something about your organization or its leaders that the general public might not know.
Did you know that the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter rarely serves soup?
We serve nutritious, hearty, hot meals every day of the year. From January – December last year, we served 17,755 Breakfasts, Monday – Friday and 45,413 Dinners Monday – Sunday. When COVID shut things down in March, staff were able to prepare To Go boxes, distributed at the door, so our most vulnerable population could still get hot meals. We continue to serve meals every day, with COVID guidelines in place for the safety of all.
What's your favorite motivational quote?
“At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how
much money we have made, how many great things we have done.
We will be judged by ‘I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me, I was homeless and you took me in.’
Hungry not only for bread — but hungry for love. Naked not only for clothing — but naked for human dignity and respect. Homeless not only for want of a room of bricks — but homeless because of rejection.”
~Mother Teresa