In 1996 when we first opened Eva’s Kitchen in our current location, we designed our soup kitchen to serve 240 persons. Because of our policy of turning no one away, by the spring of 2009, in the depths of the last recession, we were sometimes feeding up to 400 hungry men and women per day in the same space. In addition to seeing an increase in the number of homeless, we were also seeing more working poor. The great recession was taking a terrible toll. By the fall of 2009, the number at our doorstep had swelled some days up to 500.
Fortunately, by the fall of 2011, we had completed a general expansion of our core services including our soup kitchen. Today we have a capacity of 400. Because we also provide three meals per day to clients in our emergency shelter and recovery programs, the total output of our kitchen is over 1,200 meals per day, more than 438,000 hot meals annually.
Where do you get your food?
Campbell's Chunky soup and New York Giants Victor Cruz help out during the holidays
We purchase much of our food but also receive generous donations from food banks, catering halls, restaurants, supermarkets, and various groups who collect cans and produce.
Almost all of the planning, purchasing and preparation of food is done by our staff and volunteers. About 14% of our kitchen’s servings are prepared offsite.
Pictured left: Campbell’s Chunky soup and New York Giants' wide receiver Victor Cruz donated over 5,000 cans of soup during our holiday season.
How much does it cost to run Eva’s Kitchen?
Our annual kitchen budget is over $700,000.
Where does the money to run your soup kitchen come from?
Besides Providing a Hot Meal, What Else Does Eva’s Kitchen Accomplish?
After their meal, our guests often converse with one another in the courtyard outside the dining hall. This provides a quiet respite and allows our clients to form friendships with one another. Through these relationships and from our staff, our clients learn of the resources that are available to them at Eva’s Village and may choose to take the next step – whether it is a shelter, drug/alcohol recovery, primary medical/dental care and/or recovery center activities.
In short, the homeless and working poor have dreams just like you and I — even if they’ve faded because of the continual stress of being on the street or because of having to endure long hardships just to make a subsistence living; Eva’s Village exists for those who want a better future for themselves and to help them see that they can have a better future.
How can I volunteer To Help You?
If you want to volunteer in our soup kitchen or in any of our other programs, call Jennifer Doherty, Volunteer Coordinator, at 973.523.6220 ext. 248 or email
My co-workers and I Would Love to Help You. Is There a Way We Can All Work Together?
Yes, we have two programs:
Our Fund-A-Meal program is for corporate sponsorships where company members offer their time and services in our soup kitchen (Eva’s Kitchen) and in exchange, company sponsors receive signage in Eva’s Kitchen, press release or PRWeb, promotion on our ever growing social network sites, and a write up in our quarterly news publication which goes out to thousands of subscribers.
We also have company team-building opportunities through our BOND, BOOST, & BUILD program. You and your fellow co-workers or team members get a look inside the inner workings of one of the state’s most comprehensive and successful anti-poverty non-profits in New Jersey. You’ll also spend the day in Eva's Kitchen, helping to serve the noon meal.
To learn more about these corporate programs, please call Cyndi Roberson at 973-523-6220 ext. 226 or email
You can help feed the hungry and the poor. Over 11.5% New Jersey residents don't have enough to eat. Eva's Soup Kitchen serves a hot, balanced, nutritious lunch to 350 - 400 people 365 days a year. No one is turned away in our soup kitchen program.
