St. Joe's Soup Kitchen

Our History

St. Joe’s Soup Kitchen (SJSK) first opened its doors in 1976 by the Church of St. Joseph

in Greenwich Village. When we first opened, we served an average of 12 people every

Saturday, catering to mostly to the elderly in the neighborhood. By the end of 1979,

the number of people had increased to 50 every Saturday. In 1981, St. Joe’s Soup Kitchen

experienced a significant increase in our operations, and in 1982, Mayor Koch put out a

call city-wide for faith-based organizations to help with New York City’s growing homeless population. St. Joe’s Soup Kitchen answered the call, and established our operating structure that continues to this day.

​

Our highest recorded number of meals occurred in August 1993, with 727 meals served. Today, we average approximately 300 meals every Saturday.

​

Over the years, St. Joe’s Soup Kitchen grew independent of the Church of St. Joseph, and in June 2015 we made this official when St. Joe’s Soup Kitchen became an independent 501(c)3 charitable organization. This allows us to run a completely independent operation and welcome all people as volunteers as guest.

Most recently, we've relocated our operations to the First Presbyterian Church, who graciously opened their doors to us in December 2019, when we were looking for a new home. Through their generosity, we continue to serve our community every Saturday.