CHARLESTON, W.Va. — An organization with a 90 year history of helping those in need in the Charleston area has opened its newest facility. The new Mountain Mission Soup Kitchen was dedicated Tuesday on Charleston’s west side and will begin offering meals to those in need on Wednesday.
“People can come in here no questions asked and they can eat,” said Mountain Mission Executive Director John Roberts. “If they can’t afford it, we’re not going to charge them anything. If they can afford it, we ask they make a little donation to cover some costs and keep the ministry going.”
The operation will start out slowly operating daily from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Roberts said the hours at first will give them a chance to gauge the need and the volume of people they will be serving. It will also give them time to judge their supply needs and work load demands.
“We’re going to grow into two meals a day seven days a week,” said Roberts. “People get hungry on the weekend too and we understand that, but we need to inch into this and get a little footing. It’s always easier to grow something than to reduce.”
There will also be a different vibe to the Mountain Mission’s kitchen which will be a break away from traditional soup lines. The facility will be operated restaurant style with a wait staff.
“We want folks to come in, have a seat, we’ll tell them what’s on the menu and they can tell us what they’d like to have,” Roberts explained. “We’ll serve them, and they can go on.”
Anyone wanting to volunteer will be able to apply on the Mountain Mission website in a few days or call the office at 304-344-3407. Roberts said they will also take applications via their Facebook page.