'It gives me purpose.' Soup Kitchen in Provincetown fosters community in winter

At noon on a Friday in late December, a line of hungry patrons awaiting their lunch had already formed.

Within 15 minutes, the line filled the small hallway between the service line and the front door as more people turned up at the Soup Kitchen in Provincetown.

The dishes of the day — chicken egg drop soup, miso soup, kung pao chicken and tofu with rice and fresh fruit — filled the room with the savory scents commonly found in Chinese restaurants and take-out spots. Volunteers, some of whom had been working since 9:30 a.m. getting the food prepped and made alongside Chef Gina Larkin, greeted regulars as they came in.

As the room filled, everyone seemed to be greeting their neighbor, highlighting the sense of kinship and camaraderie.

“Not only is it about feeding people, but it's about giving them a place to be with others during the week,” Brett Parson, a kitchen volunteer, said. “That means so much during the dreary winter winter months.”

Soup Kitchen in Provincetown is a communal meeting place

Founded in 1992, located inside the Provincetown United Methodist Church and open every weekday from November to April, the soup kitchen — known as SKIP — is a place for members of the community or visitors to Provincetown to stop in, have a meal and connect with others during the winter when the town is barren and jobs are hard to come by.

“It's nice when they can get a healthy, nutritious meal but they can also find some companionship as this part of Cape Cod is pretty lonely in the winter,” Philip Franchini, SKIP chairperson, said. “We're not a traditional soup kitchen feeding homeless people. We have some homeless people, obviously, but we're more of a community kitchen that feeds people that just need a meal. They need somebody to talk to.”

In the month they’ve been open, Franchini said it’s been hectic.

“This has been an unpredictable year,” he said. “Who would have thought we’d be serving over 200 people.”

Food donated or purchased

As a nonprofit, the kitchen receives food primarily from donations from the Greater Boston Food Bank and from purchases it makes. Some local restaurants will donate extra food they have, according to Franchini.

With hundreds of meals a day served — both dine-in and take-out — Larkin said she focuses on feeding guests nutritious meals they might not get elsewhere.

“We always prioritize fruit and vegetables as there's something that's very expensive these days and that most of the guests probably won't buy on their own,” she said.

She said she thinks about what people really want to eat, as opposed to maybe what she wants to cook all the time.

"We get a lot of feedback from guests," Larkin said. "We always do a vegan, gluten-free and vegetarian meal as an option for people.”

Collaborations with other nonprofits

The kitchen also donates food to Helping Our Women, a local organization helping women with chronic or serious health conditions on the Outer Cape, and is launching a collaboration with the Family Table Collaborative, according to Larkin.

While newcomers do pop their heads in from time to time, many patrons are regulars, like Rodney Reetz — a true celebrity at the kitchen, according to the volunteers — whose been coming for the last five years.

“I used to be here every day,” he said.

For many, the best part of visiting is the camaraderie between patrons and staff.

“I retired in February of 2020 and my husband and I decided to move up here full-time,” Parson, the kitchen volunteer, said.

Volunteering at the soup kitchen gives him purpose, he said.

"Especially those of us who are fortunate enough to retire from a career we love," he said. "There's a huge letdown at some point. Like, God, now what do I do with my life? This, in a small way, you know, gives me some way to give back and to have meaning.”

Frankie Rowley covers entertainment and things to do. Contact her at frowley@capecodonline.com.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Egg drop soup and fresh fruit: Lunch at Soup Kitchen in Provincetown