OIL CITY – Hot food at Oil City’s new soup kitchen offers a welcome warmup in frigid temperatures.
The Center Town Cafe is The Pointe’s new soup kitchen, located at 250 Elm St.
It is open from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. for lunch on Tuesday and Thursday.
Meals are free.
The cafe has been open for several weeks now and is attracting a lunch crowd of about 20 diners, said Deb Winger, The Pointe’s activity coordinator.
“We’re happy with that for now,” Winger said. “Even if it’s just a small crowd we’re helping someone,” she said.
Winger said that she hopes word-of-mouth will help the lunch crowd grow.
Food is served cafeteria style. Thursday’s menu was beef barley soup, crackers, a peanut butter sandwich and hot or cold beverage.
Diners sat in groups of two and three to enjoy their meals in the brightly lit dining area.
Four volunteer servers Steve Vinopal, Connie Osborn, Doris O’Neil and Faye Marsh donned plastic gloves to hand out sandwiches and ladle out the hot soup.
“I love doing stuff like this,” Marsh said.
“We’re trying to get out to the community,” O’Neil said.
Volunteers also went table-to-table to refill drinks and to talk with diners.
Winger is up “before the crack of dawn” on Tuesday and Thursday to be sure the food service goes smoothly.
“It’s worth it,” she said. “We’re breaking the stigma of what mental health is.”
Anyone who would like more information about the Center Town Cafe may call 677-4759 or 676-1009.