SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – A Syracuse community soup kitchen is working to fight a big issue in Syracuse: hunger.
“It’s a surprisingly high rate of people facing hunger and food insecurity in Syracuse. Syracuse is one of the poorest cities in the nation according to the latest census information and it affects more people than you know.” said the Samaritan Center’s events and communications specialist, Nori Gartner-Baca.
The Samaritan Center is open every day to provide two meals to anyone hungry. Last year, Gartner-Baca said the center had about 86 thousand meals and recently this year have seen about 200 people per meal. According to Gartner-Baca, those people aren’t always what some would expect.
“We’ve got people who come down who are working, who are working not only one job but two and are still struggling to make ends meet, so hunger is kind of hidden,” she said. “It’s not just the stereotypical person that you picture who comes to get food with us.”
But fighting hunger goes deeper than just providing a meal. Gartner-Baca said that the center also provides resources to help get people in touch with agencies to help create some independence for them in hopes that they’ll get set on a trajectory that brings them success in the future. Between helping people get access to outside resources and feeding people twice a day, the Samaritan Center relies on a lot of volunteers. A lot. Gartner-Baca estimates that the center uses around a thousand volunteers every month just to help serve meals.
“We’re very small staff and we couldn’t do it without our incredible volunteers,” she said.
For those who want to get involved, Gartner-Baca suggests checking out the center’s website, samcenter.org, for more information on how to help. As for those looking to get help, she says to just “walk through the doors.”
“Once you walk through the doors,” Gartner-Baca said. “You feel welcomed. People greet you and say ‘Hello, come in.’ Ask anyone for any assistance you might need, and we’ll get you going in the right direction.”
