When people think about Preble Street, they often think of a soup kitchen.  Of a line of people winding around the corner of Resource Center, patiently waiting to be served a hot and nutritious meal.

Each and every day more than 900 meals are served to homeless and low-income adults, children, and families at Preble Street Soup Kitchens, which operate at the Resource Center and at the Teen Center.  Unfortunately, it’s a number that has increased drastically in recent years.

There is no easy way to eliminate hunger in the world or in our neighborhood.  None of us alone can do it. But we are all part of the solution.

With our partners, St. Luke’s Soup Kitchen and Wayside Soup Kitchen, we now serve 325,000 meals a year.  We depend on the help of dozens of volunteers at each meal—from the faith community, area businesses, schools, civic groups, and individuals—and the generous support of local food drives and donations for the food we serve.

Food and More

At the Resource Center we serve breakfast every day and lunch on weekends to people of all ages—ranging from homeless youth to elders and immigrant families struggling to maintain independence on a fixed income—for whom food is scarce.  We provide dozens of bag lunches every morning for homeless working people who can’t return to the Soup Kitchen mid day and can’t afford to buy lunch. 

At the Teen Center, we serve homeless and runaway teens lunch and dinner every day of the year.

While the purpose of the Soup Kitchens is to provide a nutritious meal, they are also an entry point to services for individuals and families who are homeless or living in poverty. 

Both the Resource Center Soup Kitchen and the Teen Center Soup Kitchen are co-located with drop-in centers, where Preble Street caseworkers and outreach workers from collaborating organizations throughout the community can meet and engage with people in need of services.  They are also within easy proximity of most community resources, facilitating access to a range of services from employment to housing to health care that may help them escape the cycle of hunger and homelessness. 

Location and Hours of Operation

Resource Center Soup Kitchen
Breakfast:
Monday-Friday, 8:00pm-9:30am
Saturday-Sunday, 8:00am-9:00am
Lunch:
Saturday-Sunday, noon-1:00pm
252 Oxford Street, Portland
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Teen Center
Lunch: everyday, 12:00pm-1:00pm
Dinner: everyday, 6:00pm-7:00pm
343 Cumberland Avenue, Portland
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