This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.

SSKP is Committed to a Merry Christmas for All

The Shoreline Soup Kitchen & Pantries’ commitment to ensuring everyone on the shoreline has access to a nutritious meal and companionship isn’t taking the holidays off. While some service schedules will be shifted, on Monday, Dec. 25 the Shoreline Soup Kitchen and Pantries (SSKP) is hosting a free Christmas Day meal at 1 p.m. at Grace Church on Main Street in Old Saybrook. As always with SSKP, all are welcome.

The dinner will be the last major event for what has been a challenging year for the pantry. SSKP Director Ellen Rabin said that the organization has more than 8,000 families registered and served more than one million meals last year.

“We served about nine percent more people this year,” Rabin said.

Rabin attributed some of the rise to economic issues facing the shoreline area, such as people who work seasonal jobs in the summer, then can’t find work in the offseason. According to a recent study cited in the organization’s fact sheet, more than 25 percent of residents on the shoreline struggle to make ends meet.

Rabin said the organization sees a large portion of its donations come in during the holiday season.

“That’s very common with non-profits,” Rabin said. “We encourage people to donate during the other months, too.”

Linda Smith, the pantry manager in Clinton, said that the kitchens in Clinton are serving between 120 and 170 families every week.

“The pantry is very busy with both many more families and many more donations during the holidays and this year is the most guests we have ever had,” Smith said. “This time of year, is critical for the pantry to stock the shelves for the winter when donations tend to be low, so all items are needed.”

On Wednesday nights in Clinton, SSKP serves a meal at the United Methodist Church on Commerce Street from 5 to 6 p.m., and groceries are available at the pantry at the First Church of Christ on 55 Church Road from 5:45 to 7:45 p.m. The pantry will be closed on Wednesday, Dec. 27, but on Wednesday, Dec. 20, the pantry will distribute groceries and “some special things for the holiday,” Smith said.

Those who attend SSKP pantries do not need to prove they’re in need; all its services are free of charge, thanks to the donors and volunteers who support the group.

“I’m so impressed with the community, the number of business and organizations that have donated,” Rabin said.

SSKP was founded 28 years ago in Essex, and serves 11 shoreline towns: Chester, Clinton, Deep River, East Lyme, Essex, Killingworth, Lyme, Old Lyme, Madison, Old Saybrook, and Westbrook. For more information, including volunteer opportunities, visit www.shorelinesoupkitchens.org or call 860-388-1988.