The hungry wait, in the rain, outside our gates for lunch

Milestones of the Soup Kitchen

We are grateful to report that the Soup Kitchen, as of January 17th, 2007, has been operating for two years.  During this time, we have worked hard, learned a lot, and have made so many new friends.  We have also been blessed with the help of many people.  We want to give our supporters a summary of what your donations have accomplished:

Capital Equipment to Outfit the Kitchen & Dining Rooms

  • Commercial Stove
  • Large 2 Burner Cook Top
  • Commercial Refrigerator
  • Commercial Freezer
  • Commercial Ventilator Hood
  • Commercial Sink
  • Hot Water Tank
  • Cabinets & Countertops
  • All Electric & Plumbing
  • 10 Large Tables
  • 70 Chairs
  • Complete Set of Professional Cooking Utensils
  • 100 Complete Place Settings & Glasses

What We Have Served the Hungry Together (as of August 2007)

  • Over 40,000 hot, nutritious meals
  • Over 16,000 lbs. of meat (including meat
    substitutes during the 2 major fasts)
  • Almost 4000 gallons of Soup
  • Over 9,000 loaves of bread
  • Much Love & Care

The reason for having an Orthodox Soup Kitchen goes far beyond simply giving people food.  Consistent with Archbishop Anastasios' vision when he commissioned us to begin this project, the main goal of this project is to give the Church another way to show love to the poor and suffering people here in Tirana.  Its amazing how many people show us their icons, or share with us candy on their feast days, and even give us Christian gifts such as Nativity scenes & Orthodox crosses.  Also, we put an Orthodox priest in their midst for every lunch and the people spend a lot of time talking to the priests.  We want to make this connection to the Church even stronger and are planning bible studies after the lunches for those who are interested.

Thanks again for all your support in 2005 & 06 and we pray we can continue to work together in 2007!