Sheridan Area Soup Halls Continue To Serve To The Needy

Soup’s still on at the various soup halls in the Sheridan area.

Despite the COVID pandemic, eight different churches have been able to rotate serving free lunches to the needy.

When the pandemic started, they had to switch from serving homemade meals to purchasing and delivering from Meals on Wheels, but as recently as late May, they have been able to switch back.

Pastor Doug Goodwin of the First Congregational United Church of Christ has been involved with the program since it started in 1994.

He says there has been a little bit of decline of people attending, either due to those being cautious or the needy have been getting supplies from other food pantries.

He adds that’s not necessarily a bad thing, because the trend suggests that the needy are being fed.

“There’s always people who need a warm place to eat, and to be around good friends and to enhance the meaning of life. There are other organizations that have kind of come in and help in their own way and we’re all working together even though we don’t see each other, so it’s all trying to help people who are in need, so no one goes hungry in Sheridan County. Everybody finds help where they are able to.”

Pastor Goodwin adds that the soup halls tend to get more visitors in the summer compared to the winter, which is the opposite of what he anticipated long ago.