St. Vincent de Paul’s Community Kitchen gets a colorful makeover thanks to Hampton artist

HAMPTON — The downtown was graced with a new mural this week on the brick wall of St. Vincent de Paul’s Community Kitchen, commemorating the space five years after the kitchen lost its home to a beach fire.

Blue and white flowers hang over a crashing wave, bookended by sea stars and a pair of hands with palms facing upwards. At the center are the words “Creating Community,” with “St. Vincent de Paul” inscribed underneath.

The mural, painted by local artist Alyssa Pine and sponsored by the Hampton Rotarians, was unveiled to the public Monday evening with dozens of locals gathered to celebrate. A tarp was pulled down to reveal the large mural, which covers the wall from top to bottom. St. Vincent de Paul hosted the event with a grill outside as those who gathered enjoyed cookout food.

Paul Nicholson, St. Vincent de Paul president, said the mural was a finishing touch on the space where the soup kitchen moved two years ago. It was a new permanent location to replace their home of 15 years at Hampton Beach after it was destroyed in a fire.

“This was really the bow on the package,” said Nicholson. “We’re pretty much set now going forward.”

Community Kitchen volunteer Lisa Parker said she sees the mural as the start of a new chapter.

"I think the mural in saying 'creating community' is a great symbol for what we stand for," Parker said, "I see it as maybe a new chapter to where we can go."

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St. Vincent de Paul moves to the downtown

The soup kitchen was once located at 37 Ashworth Ave. in a building owned by Preston Real Estate. It served 1,000 meals a month to those in need, providing a place to eat a hot dinner most weekdays.

The soup kitchen was lost when a fire occurred in 2018, destroying the space along with six residential units located above. What followed was three years of sharing a temporary space at the former Elderly Daycare Center. In that time, they also struggled with COVID-19 restrictions that made it challenging to get food to those in need.

The organization finally found its current location in 2021, when it purchased 441R Lafayette Road. The facility housed not only the Community Kitchen but also the Clothes Closet, which provides free clothing for those in need. Nicholson said at the time that St. Vincent de Paul was lucky to find the space, which was painted and given new flooring and restaurant tables.

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Alyssa Pine, known for Community Oven, tapped to paint mural

A mural as a finishing touch to the space was in the works since the move-in took place, according to Pine. She said she was contacted by Parker about doing the job back then.

Pine had been working for several years for her father Shane at his restaurants the Community Oven and Shane’s Texas Pit, the latter of which saw the creation of an outdoor backyard bar with artwork inspired by the art scene in Austin, Texas. Pine has since left the restaurant business and focused on painting. She has also opened a store, Live Freely, at 540 Lafayette Road where she sells her art and works by other artisans and vendors.

Pine said she was excited when Parker reached out about doing a mural for St. Vincent de Paul’s new space. However, she said the organization did not have a way to fund the project.

This year, she said she and Parker decided together they were going to find a way to make the mural happen. She said she was giving a talk at the Hampton Rotary Club when they suggested she do a Rotary mural. The Rotarians also volunteer at the soup kitchen handing out food.

“I said, 'This is perfect,'” Pine said. Pine, Parker and the Rotarians connected, and the Rotary Club agreed to pay for the work. The mural was completed last week.

“I think she did a great job,” said Larry Marsolais, president of the Rotarians. “It’s perfect for the area.”

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Mural puts spotlight on Hampton’s downtown

The new mural is visible from High Street. One can see it if they walk from the intersection of Route 1 and Exeter Road and past Zesto’s Pizza, looking to their right. Like the walkway put up alongside Greg’s Bistro by Experience Hampton, it is one more piece of artwork and design that has gone into beautifying the downtown in the last several years.

The design was a collaboration between Pine, Parker and the Rotarians. Pine said it was a relatively new direction since she has gotten her start doing work for businesses that were specific to their brand. This piece, she said, came from the community for inspiration and allowed open interpretation. The flowers represent growth, she said, while the hands represent lifting each other up.

“It has given me purpose again, working on this mission,” Pine said.

Parker said the mural gives new visibility to the Community Kitchen in a location that previously was a little challenging to distinguish from the rest of the downtown. Now, she said, it's difficult to miss.

"I think people will be like, 'Oh wow, look at that, I didn’t realize that was sitting there,'" Parker said. "I'm hoping it brings awareness and maybe more people to either utilize or find us."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: St. Vincent de Paul’s Community Kitchen gets new mural in Hampton