Gettysburg Community Soup Kitchen (GCSK) volunteers and employees are preparing for an anticipated increase in food needs as area school students are dismissed for the summer in the coming weeks. .
“Currently, we serve an average of 60 guests each day, with an addition of six to eight children. Now that school is out for the summer, the children we serve each day are at least We'll be adding 20 people,'' said Sandy Lutz, director of operations for the Gettysburg Community Soup Kitchen.
Lutz, who has led soup kitchens for more than six years, also noted that soup kitchens are beginning to transition to using as little processed food as possible when preparing children's meals.
During the school year, students receive both a free or reduced-cost healthy breakfast and lunch from their school.
Two years ago, the soup kitchen began using a children's menu during the summer months. This allows us to control portion sizes to provide satiating, nutritious, and more kid-friendly food.
“This year we want to take our commitment to nutrition even further and eliminate as many processed foods as possible from our children's menus. Fresh chicken nuggets and strips, pasta with meat sauce and meatballs, and macaroni and cheese on our own. We’re going to be prepared,” Lutz said.
The soup kitchen is accepting donations of the following items and will continue to collect these items throughout the summer to add to the children's menu. 100% ground beef hamburger patty. chicken hot dog. Tater tots/oven fries. Raw fish sticks. bent macaroni; spaghetti pasta; Extra sharp cheddar cheese (brick). Prego's traditional spaghetti sauce. And a box of fruit juice.
In addition to these special main dishes, children will also receive a box of fruit or fruit juice and dessert with their meal.
While talking about doing more for young people, Lutz also took the opportunity to thank the many people in the community who donate to support the soup kitchen.
“This county and region is incredible in how much they give to those in need,” Lutz said.
Lutz spoke passionately about donations from local residents, businesses, nonprofits and churches.
In discussing the extremely generous response of the community, Lutz noted a need that has recently arisen and community members have come forward to help.
“Many of the people who need meals also have diabetes, so we have to be careful about the types of meals and snacks we provide,” Lutz says.
Lutz said people have been asking for sugar-free cookies and desserts, and some people are now donating sugar-free cookies and pudding. Lutz said these are items that can be used continuously at soup kitchens.
Lutz also said many local businesses will support soup kitchens with “meal sponsorships.”
“We have generous business owners who donate an entire day's worth of meals to feed their guests on a specific day each month. We're arranging to bring in food from our restaurants and serve it to people who are here that day,” Lutz said.
The Gettysburg Community Soup Kitchen is a nonprofit 501-C3 organization, and monetary donations to the organization are deductible from federal taxes. The organization also receives no federal, state, or local funding. The soup kitchen has established an endowment through the Adams County Community Foundation as another source of income and to ensure it continues to provide food security to all who need it.
Lutz, who has overseen the soup kitchen since 2018, expressed gratitude to her colleagues, volunteers and board members who continue to provide food to the community's neediest people. Lutz is also proud that the organization prepares and/or cooks all of its food on site and that all of the containers it uses to distribute meals are biodegradable or compostable.
Lutz had been involved in community service for most of his life, and enlisted his son, Grant Lutz, as an assistant director. He does most of the cooking and food preparation work and helps plan the menu. The soup kitchen is run by a very small staff of Sandy, Grant, Josh Langley and Toni Smith.
Lutz has a strong team of volunteers, along with a very active and supportive board of directors.
With food prices soaring, purchasing groceries at the right time and in the right place is critical to running a soup kitchen.
A recent addition to the Gettysburg Community Soup Kitchen's board of directors marvels at the way Lutz manages the budget and coordinates meals at the soup kitchen.
“I've never seen anyone shell out a dollar like Sandy to go shopping to feed her guests. She's a very special person with a heart of gold,” said director John George. said.
Lutz said the majority of the people they serve are local residents on low and fixed incomes.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, and continuing now, the soup kitchen had adopted a “grab and go” meal model where people in need could come to the takeout window to pick up their daily meals.
Donations can be dropped off at the soup kitchen Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. We ask donors not to leave any perishable food by the door. To arrange delivery, please call 717-334-2773.
Daily meal distributions occur Monday through Saturday from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., feeding hungry people in the community. On Saturdays he is provided with two meals a day, allowing full-time staff enough time off on Sundays. Since 1991, the total number of meals served in soup kitchens will exceed 300,000, and by 2023 it will reach 18,874.
Board member Randy McDonnell also said he would like to thank the soup kitchen for its continued support.
“We could not accomplish our mission without the support of our generous community, as so many people are in need and it is extremely difficult for everyone to survive the economy,” said McDonnell. said.
It's not just the unemployed who need food in Adams County, he said.
“The nature of this economy right now, we have a lot of working poor people here who are having to make decisions between feeding themselves and putting gas in their cars to go to work,” McDonnell said. .
McDonnell pointed to food price inflation and supply chain delays that Sandy and her team continue to address.
The soup kitchen opened on October 1, 1991 as a project supported by Prince of Peace Church. That year, members of the parish prepared a simple meal of soup and sandwiches for his 307 people. As the number of guests coming to dine increased, it was incorporated into the Gettysburg Community Soup Kitchen in December 1996.
The organization's founder, Nancy Forgang, helped create the organization's first board of directors. The current board is made up of local church members and community volunteers.
“We only exist because of the generosity of our community and we provide meals to members of our community,” Lutz said.
In January 2012, they moved from the Prince of Peace basement to their current location, Peace House, at 22 W. High Street in Gettysburg.
