The History of the American Soup Kitchen

Gettysburg College graduate Derek Weigel, now a financial entrepreneur with World Financial Group in White Plains, New York, volunteers some of his free time with local charitable organizations. One type of charity work Derek Weigel has performed since he graduated from Gettysburg College is soup kitchen staffing.

The soup kitchen emerged as a means of feeding large numbers of people who were homeless or unemployed In the late 1920s when the Great Depression put a quarter of the American labor force out of work. Most soup kitchens of the era were run by churches or private charitable organizations. Soup was chosen, in part, for its ability to be watered down to feed more people.

By the mid-1930s, federal and state governments provided food aid through soup kitchens. Most communities had at least one soup kitchen, though people in rural areas might have to travel to the nearest city to find one. The tradition of feeding the hungry at soup kitchens continues today, with some expanding their offerings to provide other charitable services.