Florida Catholic | Pensacola Soup Kitchen Nourishes Homeless

Pensacola soup kitchen nourishes homeless

St. Joseph Parish soup kitchen organizers are unsure about the total number of homeless, but they are helping – one meal at a time.

AMY FERRARA SMITH | FLORIDA CATHOLIC STAFF

Published: 03.28.08

AMY FERRARA SMITH | FC
Richard Reynolds, Gordy Jasperson and Donna Moore Horky prepare fish chowder on March 14 for the homeless at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Pensacola.

PENSACOLA | In the St. Joseph Parish hall kitchen on the morning of March 13, busy had a sound. A group of about six volunteer women from the Pensacola area rattled cooking utensils, opened cans and carted pots out from the cupboards.

Tomorrow’s menu: fish chowder.

Donna Moore Horky and Micky Hite started a Friday soup kitchen at St. Joseph Parish in downtown Pensacola for the poor and homeless nearly six months ago. As the women prepared to make the soup, Horky and Hite talked about the program while sitting at a round table just outside the kitchen.

“There are 6,000 homeless in Pensacola, some transient homeless,” said Hite. “Wait. Is that right, Donna? Six-thousand?”

Donna Horky: 850-516-2425
or
Micky Hite: 850-206-2153

“My guess is 2,000.”

“I’m saying 6,000.” It was obvious that the two were playing a game.

“Let’s ask Richard,” Horky eventually suggested. She called to a sandy-haired man who wore a long, low ponytail.

Richard Reynolds walked toward the table. He didn’t hesitate: 4,000. He knows the number because it includes himself.

Like Horky and Hite, Reynolds helped to plan the weekly soup kitchen that serves an average of 50 to 60 hungry people each Friday from 11 a.m. to noon. His connection with the homeless community is invaluable.

“The ones who need it appreciate it,” he assured.

When describing this particular soup kitchen, the “it” is vague. That’s because Hite and Horky do more than organize volunteers to cook and serve; they also counsel. Both women are social workers who volunteer at the free St. Joseph Health Clinic on the parish campus. By watching locals at the health clinic and at the Caring and Sharing food and clothing program in an adjacent building, they realized that what the poor and homeless needed was a place to get a hot, nutritious meal. Other local soup kitchens, they said, had closed, leaving those who needed a free meal without many options.

“We’re smack dab in the middle of a homeless environment,” said Hite, who belongs to St. Joseph Parish.

Horky, a Sacred Heart Cathedral parishioner, said that Father Patrick Foley, pastor of St. Joseph, is the reason they were able to open the kitchen.

“He said, ‘I know what it’s like to be hungry. If you do it, I will help,’” she said.

So Horky and Hite posted signs around the parish and at nonprofit agencies, such as Waterfront Mission. They have seen as many as 100 people at a time gather for soup.

“God led me here,” said Horky. “I’ve found my niche. I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing.”

Hite agreed. “I’ve found something that fits my personality and energy level,” she said. “It fits my needs. … This is my niche.”

Their enthusiasm for the project has inspired others. Each week, a group of volunteers signs up to either cook or serve. Dr. John Luetkemeyer, a practicing rheumatologist, and his wife, Marje, consistently give their time to help at the soup kitchen. Along with the Luetkemeyers, who are members of St. Joseph Parish, youth members from the Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church Community Life Center volunteered March 14.

“We’re here to help others and to serve the community,” said Erin Racoff, a member of the Methodist youth group. “It’s cool to have two religions come together to serve.”

As it is every week, the soup table was set up in the courtyard between the back of the church and the parish hall. It had rained that morning, but the ground had nearly dried by the time volunteers served. Not once, said Hite, has it rained during the Friday program.

To volunteer or donate, contact Horky at 850-516-2425 or Hite at 850-206-2153.

Return to Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee Front Page

Pensacola soup kitchen nourishes homeless

Other Stories