Soup D'Shore: A Monmouth University Community Kitchen

Soup d' Shore: An MU Community Kitchen is a not-for-profit organization that serves the Long Branch community out of St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Long Branch, NJ. Its purpose is to create a pleasant and dignified environment where patrons can enjoy a quality meal in an enjoyable atmosphere. The recession has hit the community in a big way; more people need help than ever and they come from different socioeconomic backgrounds. The concept of Soup d' Shore is to provide a place where these temporarily displaced individuals and families can seek the assistance that they need while keeping their sense of pride and dignity, as well as helping the poor and the homeless. Soup d' Shore will be marketed using a grassroots strategy and will provide the opportunity for both local businesses, religious organizations, community organizations and corporations to get involved. The company's main source of income will be the purchases of sponsorship packages that individuals and companies choose to buy. That money will be used strictly for the purpose of serving the community through the kitchen. This unique business model will create a strong presence in the community and allow the company to serve hundreds of people weekly.