Tralee soup kitchen feeds over 100 people in a day

There were queues outside a "soup kitchen" in Tralee, Co Kerry, on Saturday which fed more than 100 people over the course of the day.

The use of the term “soup kitchen”, was controversial in a town where old terms such as “taking the soup” and “soupers” can still resonate.

"Soup kitchen was a big term to use here. You see we are Church of Ireland. People objected to the name.

“They said ‘it reminds us of by-gone days,’” co-founder Dawn Roberts said.

It began in 2012 as a response to those who were putting on a brave face, paying their mortgage, paying the car loan but “eating cornflakes”, said Ms Roberts.

She and Colette Price, both married and working, set up the kitchen together from the Church of Ireland parish centre.

Wholesome home-made soup was literally what was offered at the start.

The name stuck and Tralee has taken its discreet, off-street, soup kitchen, run under the auspices of the Lions Club, to its heart.

Some 115 people ate here on the last two Saturdays and dozens of volunteers help out with generosity from local businesses.

70 per cent are men

On Saturday, there are three main courses – beef, pork and chicken – desserts and coffee.

Most of the regulars are Irish, and some 70 per cent are men in their 40s and 50s.

Queues form an hour before the noon opening. At one table in the warm brightly lit hall, local man Billy Lyons (54) is tucking into the sandwiches and putting some away for people he knows will appreciate them.

Some people took offence to the fact he started coming to a soup kitchen to eat.

“But I have a mortgage to pay,” said Mr Lyons, who used to work in Denny’s bacon factory.

Aidan Kennedy (50) has just started visiting the Saturday centre.

A Gaeilgeoir, originally from the west of Dingle, Mr Kennedy speaks English precisely and reads a lot. He lives with Tilly his dog, a rescued animal.

“So what if you go for a free meal. So what? It’s not just for the free meal,” Mr Kennedy said.

‘Took the plunge’

Odette Guiney (55), a former hairdresser who became ill, said when she was working she would have “died” rather than go to the soup kitchen.

But one day she “took the plunge” and is glad. The well-turned-out Ms Guiney said she learned “there’s no point in hang-ups”.

Every week she gets “real butter and real bread” and never leaves without a hamper.

She picks up a lot of information and it’s something to do on a Saturday. “It’s all about communication. It brings up your confidence a lot,” she said.

Ms Price said “the biggest misconception is this is a soup kitchen for the homeless”.

Ms Roberts said the kitchen is growing but it still hasn’t fully reached its target audience, the stricken middle and working class.

“Those paying their mortgage, paying their bills, who seem to have everything but who are struggling. I really would like to reach them,” she said.