Morristown soup kitchen passes first health inspection; special programs aim to keep food coming despite stricter enforcement

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By Berit A. Ollestad

After much anticipation, the Morristown Community Soup Kitchen and Outreach Center Inc., located at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, has passed its first town health inspection after completing an extensive kitchen renovation.

And CSK officials are hoping that new programs for recruiting restaurant food donations and overseeing food preparations by volunteers will ease a $150,000 shortfall that was feared in the wake of new health enforcement measures by the town.

The kitchen renovation, which started in August, took an unexpected turn when the CSK presented the plans to the town for approval. The kitchen has provided lunchtime meals for more than 27 years and is approaching its 10,000th consecutive day of continuous service to the community on April 18. On any given day, the kitchen feeds approximately 200 individuals from the community. An estimated 20 percent of the patrons are homeless, while the remainder are “working poor.”

Since the soup kitchen’s inception, home-cooked meals were as synonymous with it as grandmas are with apple pies. There are no documented cases of food poisoning as a result of food being prepared off-premises and then donated. But, it turned out, the town had not enforced regulations regarding outside food donations. When the town reviewed the kitchen renovation plans, it was faced with a choice: Continue turning a blind eye to ongoing code violations or be very unpopular and start enforcing them.

NO TEARS!  YOU PASSED INSPECTION! Teresa Connolly, left, executive director of the Morristown Community Soup Kitchen, hoists some onions with Darlene O'Connell, director of the town health department. Photo by Berit Ollestad
NO TEARS: YOU PASSED INSPECTION! Teresa Connolly, left, executive director of the Morristown Community Soup Kitchen, hoists some onions with Darlene O'Connell, director of the town health department. Photo by Berit Ollestad

According to New Jersey regulations a soup kitchen, also known as a food bank, falls under the umbrella of a retail food establishment.  The word “retail” created confusion for some in the community, because it evokes thoughts of money changing hands, but the code indicates the soup kitchen falls under the state rules.

“Why should someone who is homeless not be entitled to the same standards as any other individual that chooses to dine out in Morristown?”asked Darlene O’Connell, director of the town health department that oversees the many  restaurants, grocers and coffeehouses that serve food and beverages to the public.

Some, however, say that you can’t equate the same standards for a soup kitchen as you would a local restaurant on South Street.

The newly renovated kitchen at Morristown's Episcopal Church of the Redeemer. Photo by Berit Ollestad
The newly renovated kitchen at Morristown's Episcopal Church of the Redeemer. Photo by Berit Ollestad

It is the soup kitchen’s responsibility to keep the guests safe and healthy and not expose anyone to unforeseen health risks, said Executive Director Teresa Connolly. Many of the patrons already have medical issues including  compromised immune systems from illnesses such as hepatitis, HIV infection and diabetes, so exposing them to foods that have not been properly prepared, stored or kept at the proper temperature potentially might pose problems, she said.

But the budget shortfall created when the regulations were enforced jeopardized the soup kitchen’s ability to keep its doors open.  It initially was estimated that the loss of community food contributions would create a $150,000 shortfall annually.

Although individuals in the community are no longer able to prepare dishes in their own kitchens and donate them to the soup kitchen, the staff is designing an opportunity for members of the public to come during scheduled times to prepare their favorite dishes in the state-of-the-art kitchen that has been inspected and licensed by the town. There also are volunteer tasks that do not involve food preparation or require special training.

The current Morristown administration has been supportive of the concerns and needs of the Community Soup Kitchen and has made efforts to strengthen their partnership and create new synergies, Connolly said.

This type of attitude created an opportunity to draw in local businesses with a program called Table to Table. Longtime soup kitchen volunteer Alan Weinstein, former owner of the Park Savoy Restaurant, reached out to many local restaurant managers who once worked for Weinstein and made a plea for them to get involved.

Essentially, local businesses sign up to become the “daily premier restaurant” by supplying the soup kitchen with nutritious meal options from their establishments for the “meal of the day.” Not only does this help foster a better relationship among the various establishments, but it also achieves the goal of feeding people who are less fortunate without having to compromise food safety guidelines.

Below are restaurants in the Table to Table program that benefits the Community Soup Kitchen. For more information on how to become involved, please contact the soup kitchen.

The Madison Hotel
J&K Steakhouse
Grand Cafe
Park Savoy
The Westin Governer Morris
The Birchwood Manor
Urban Table
OME Catering
Starbucks
Sweet Lucy’s Bakery

The pantry of Morristown's Community Soup Kitchen. Photo by Berit Ollestad.
The pantry of Morristown's Community Soup Kitchen. Photo by Berit Ollestad.

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