day, it operates a shower program, emergency food pantry, and a tutoring and art therapy program for children. It distributes household items and clothing. It owns the Earthworks Urban Farm which produces 14,000 pounds of produce year-round from a two-and-a-half-acre organic farm.
The Capuchin Soup Kitchen
A FARM AND A BAKERY THAT PRODUCE REDEEMED LIVES
/// BY KRISTINE COCHRANE
n a large lot in downtown Detroit sits an imposing edifice, St. Bonaventure Monastery, the home of the Capuchin friars and the home site of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen. It is 135 years old and stands with a dignity that gives credence to its vaunted importance in the community.
Many people are not aware that cappuccino was named as a reference to Capuchin monks, who traditionally wore latte-colored robes and peaked hoods. The Capuchin Soup Kitchen, however, is more than the answer to a trivia question, and even more than just a soup kitchen.
The Capuchin Soup Kitchen is a ministry in Detroit of the Province of St. Joseph of the Capuchin Order, a religious community of friars inspired by St. Francis of Assisi. More than 800 years ago, St. Francis created a“ community of equality” whose mission was to proclaim that God and peaceful salvation is available to all people, especially to those shunned by society. As Franciscans, the friars live and work with those who need help – the poor, the disenfranchised, and the desperately needy.
The Capuchin Province of St. Joseph began its Detroit ministry in 1883. Today, it serves Metro Detroit by providing food, clothing and human development programs to the community. Besides preparing and serving more than 2,000 meals a
Perhaps most famously, it operates the On the Rise Bakery, which assists individuals re-entering society after bouts of incarceration or substance abuse. These people work in the bakery, which provides activity, socialization, income … and quality baked goods appreciated by a large customer base.
In addition, the Soup Kitchen’ s Jefferson House is a 12-bed residential treatment facility that assists indigent males seeking to reclaim their lives from addiction.
The entire program is funded primarily by donations, receiving no government assistance. For the Capuchin friars, the intention and purpose of their activities is of supreme importance. In fact, it is the purity and force of the intentions, they believe, that directs the future works of any enterprise.
The Earthworks organic farm is a full program of the Kitchen and works with them to not merely feed Detroit residents, but also to create a“ foodjust” Detroit, one in which all people have control over their food. The friars’ purpose with this program is to build a quality food system with the combination of education, inspiration and community involvement. They endeavor to“ restore our connection to the environment and the community” and they address the issue as a working study-- both in social justice and in knowing the origins of the local foods available throughout neighborhoods steeped in poverty.
36
Innovative Health- Winter 2017