State Farm Steve Sparkman’s office joined the growing list of business sponsors for a week of Community Soup Kitchen meals at Williamsburg House of Mercy (pictured). In July, State Farm Steve Sparkman’s office also has pledged to donate $20 to the Williamsburg House of Mercy for every new household that provides his office with the opportunity to quote their auto, home, and or/life insurance as part of his “Quotes for Good” initiative.
Thanks to the generosity of businesses and organizations like Steve’s, and many individual donors in Williamsburg, the Community Soup Kitchen meals are sponsored from now through October. Each day, Monday through Friday (with the exception of the first Friday of the month Mobile Food Pantry market day), a nutritious and home-cooked meal is prepared and served from noon to 1 pm to hungry individuals. For $200 per week, the Harbor Day Shelter for the Homeless and Community Soup Kitchen meals are provided.
Williamsburg House of Mercy executive director Shannon Woloszynowski speaks to the impact of the Community Soup Kitchen meals: “Healthy and nutrient-packed meals are so important when many of our clients are the working poor. Without the opportunity to eat well, performance at work, school, and in the home suffers. Our daily noontime soup kitchen will be open to the entire community, as an opportunity to refresh and refuel for the rest of the day. By providing meals with protein and fresh ingredients, we remove the stumbling block of hunger and stress of food insecurity for one third of the work week-a gamechanger for many of our families!”
The summer months have seen an increase in attendance of families with children out of school and no longer receiving breakfast and lunch through educational programs. This has also led to a tremendous increase in need for shelf stable food items from the Williamsburg House of Mercy food pantry.
Sponsors can contact [email protected] or send checks to Williamsburg House of Mercy at 10 Harrison Avenue, Williamsburg, VA 23185. Food pantry donations are accepted at that address as well.
