Spring Garden
Soup Society

Feeding the hungry in Philadelphia since 1852
 
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Those We Support

The Spring Garden Soup Society
provides financial aid to selected Philadelphia institutions
which provide food for those in need.

 
Norris Square Senior Citizens Center
NSSCC offers Hispanic seniors in this North Philadelphia neighborhood an alternative to sitting alone in their apartments.  By connecting with their peers at meals, in games, projects, day trips, and simple conversation, these older men and women maintain an enthusiasm for life that is encouraging to see.  Click here to watch a brief video tour.
The Simple Way
(support suspended with the closure of the Food Choice Pantry)
Launched in the late 1990s, The Simple Way has become a high-functioning, self-supporting mission providing food and other essential services to those living in a challenged but vibrant neighborhood in the heart of Kensington. Its Food Choice Pantry is managed and staffed by those it serves, and offers a wide selection of staples in an environment that prioritizes balanced nutrition as well as love and respect for the individual shopper. Click here to visit their website.
Feast of Justice
Feast of Justice is a faith-based nonprofit that addresses hunger, meets needs, and inspires hope as they work toward abundant justice in Northeast Philadelphia and beyond. Their primary work is a food pantry that serves up to 600 households each week, but the enrichment work goes deeper -- connecting their guests with counseling resources, nutrition education, and social capital through community connections. Click here to visit their website.
Sherwood Day Care
Sherwood Day Care is a nonprofit organization providing nourishment to those in its West Philadelphia neighborhood struggling with inadequate food supplies. Through its soup kitchen and food distribution program, it offers the reassurance of a hot meal at least twice a week, and for those without a job or on a small fixed income, Sherwood's food giveaway represents a reliable resource for sustenance in times of need.
The City School
The City School is a K–12 Christian school in the heart of Philadelphia. Since 1978, it has been committed to training students’ minds, discipling their hearts, and bringing light to the city— one child at a time. The City School serves a vibrant and diverse community of learners, dreamers, athletes, artists, and leaders. As a family of families, TCS prepares students to thrive in school, college, home, and life by offering Christ-centered education that fosters both academic excellence and spiritual growth in a caring, inclusive environment. To learn more, click here to visit their website.
St. Francis Inn
The St. Francis Inn provides daily meals and other services for up to 300 poor and homeless persons in the Kensington section of Philadelphia.  Located in the rumbling shadow of the Market-Frankford El, the Inn is a beacon of hope in an impoverished area where hope is in short supply. Click here to visit their website.
St. John's Hospice
St. John's Hospice has been providing food, housing, and drug services for homeless men in the center city area since 1963.  They are also offer weekday lunches to indigent nonresidents, and last year served more than 60,000 meals to those in their community.  To learn more, click here to visit their website.
Face to Face
From its origins as St. Vincent's Soup Kitchen in 1985, Face to Face has evolved into a multi-faceted organization dedicated to caring for every aspect of its clients' well-being on an individualized, person-to-person basis. Offering dignity, compassion, and a sense of community to hundreds of disenfranchised men and women in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Face to Face serves about 600 meals each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to individuals and families across the demographic spectrum.
Small Things
Small Things Inc. was established in 2020 at the height of the pandemic to address food insecurity in some of Philadelphia's hungriest zip codes. Now, years later, the need for food is as strong as ever. In that time, Small Things has distributed more than 23 million pounds of food through 50 nonprofit community pantries throughout the region. Those pantries continue to serve 70,000 people a week. Small Things also established three full choice pantries in Fairhill, Hunting Park and Center City. Altogether, these "free" grocery stores gave away more than 500,000 pounds of food to more than 10,000 families in 2024. Click here to visit Small Things' website.
Tindley Temple
(support suspended with the closure of the soup kitchen)
Dr. Charles Tindley, born a slave in 1851, became a Methodist pastor and the acknowledged "father of gospel music."  He had a passion for humanitarian work, and the soup kitchen and clothing ministries he instituted continue to serve the poor in his memory -- and to the glory of God.
Whosoever Gospel Mission
Since its establishment in 1892 in the Germantown section of Philadelphia by a reformed alcoholic, the Whosoever Gospel Mission and Rescue Home has been ministering on an uninterrupted basis to both the temporal and spiritual needs of the homeless men it shelters by providing meals, job training and counseling. Click here for more information.


 

The John Dallas Bowers Annual Grant

Established in 2021 in recognition of Mr. Bowers' 17 years as president, the Grant is awarded each year
to a worthy individual or organization whose central mission is feeding the hungry in Philadelphia.
  • 2021 -- The Simple Way
  • 2022 -- The Sunday Love Project
  •  2023 -- The Food Pantry at Bethel Presbyterian Church
  • 2024 -- Small Things







We remain committed to the spirit of our founders' vision,
and invite tax-deductible donations from those who feel led
to support our commitment to feed the hungry.
For more information on how you can help
please click here.


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Questions or encouraging words are always welcome at
SpringGardenSoupSociety@verizon.net