New Haven Independent

One day at the end of January, he noted that the soup kitchen served 255 meals “” a recent record. So many people came to eat that day that the kitchen ran out of its prepared menu, one of the only times in his long tenure that he remembers that happening.

“People are not going away hungry,” O’Sullivan hastens to add. “We always have plenty of food, but not always the regular menu. That day we had 255 people, and I usually plan for the end of the month to have 200 or 220.”

That’s a lot of hungry people to move through the food line in the dining room at Christ Church on Broadway, which serves a multiple-course midday meal most weekdays.

But not as many meals as 15 years ago. O’Sullivan rattles off more statistics to illustrate: “In the early ’90s one year we did 98,000 meals; last year it was 60,000 meals, which was an 11 percent increase over 2005.” The early ’90s saw the crack epidemic, a big recession, and the spread of AIDS among people who turned to the soup kitchens for help, before succumbing to an early death. Three soup kitchen regulars from those years who are depicted in a dining room mural have since died of AIDS.

O’Sullivan’s not sure what caused the jump in visitors in late January, but says it’s definitely part of a trend.

Conversations with several diners confirmed their appreciation for what the soup kitchen and other programs offer. Sal Ferraiolo (pictured) said, “Thank God for the soup kitchen, because a lot of people are homeless, and have no money. I tell you, in New Haven you can’t starve. The food here is good; it nourishes our body.” The lunchtime crowd at his end of the table seemed convivial, but when a reporter asked Ferraiolo if he was among friends, he replied, “I can’t say friends. I’d say associates, because it’s hard to trust a lot of people, but I feel friendly toward them.” He’s struggling to get Social Security benefits and disability payments, so far without success.

James Thomas proclaimed over his tray, which was almost overflowing with bread, vegetables, meat and dessert, “That’s why I love Connecticut, because they feed you, sleep you, clothe you; even the minimum wage is better here. If you can’t make it in Connecticut, you can’t make it anywhere. I go pick up cans. I stay at the Grand Avenue shelter “” beautiful. You’re like family there, everybody shares the same thing. After 30 days you have to pay $21 a week, but that’s good though, and if you leave, you get the money back. They’re not trying to kill you. They’re trying to help you.”

Another diner, John Bethke, readily acknowledged, “I’m a recovering drug addict.” He said it was another soup kitchen that helped him get clean. Click here to listen to his story. Bethke added that he’s trying to regain custody of his teenage daughter. He says he’s got a bachelor’s degree in computer technology, but that all those jobs are being outsourced to India, making it tough to find a job.

O’Sullivan waxes philosophical about the fact that the Community Soup Kitchen is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, while several other emergency food providers have been around for more than 20 years. He wonders whether these institutions should really be institutionalized. Click here for his thoughts.