About Us
The Carpenter’s Corner is a Christian Feeding Ministry located at 104 Prince Street in downtown Beckley, West Virginia. Currently, the establishment is open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week. A hot meal is prepared on-site and served to an average of some 100 persons each day. In 2010, we prepared and served some 15,000 meals. The number of clients coming to us continues to rise, and we see a mix of old and new faces in our line. In the summer months, during school breaks, and even on “snow days”, we find ourselves offering food to many young children who are not receiving any regular meals from their school that day. This is a cooperative, not for profit ministry, committed to serving meals and showing care and concern for any hungry, lonely soul in need.
Volunteers from sixteen churches, as well as the community support this ministry by giving their time or contributing financially. We are funded through donations, grants, and occasional fundraisers, such as collecting money at various locations throughout the area. We receive some of our food through drives conducted by churches, schools and other organizations. We also receive monthly donations from local grocery stores, as well as the USDA. We purchase some food items from the Mountaineer Food Bank, which offers items to organizations such as ours at a minimal cost. We use a large amount of food for each meal. For example, one recent lunch included 12 four-pound chickens, which had been boiled and stripped, and 40 cans of mixed vegetables. Along with 24 cans of peaches, bread and dessert, this food provided 138 meals. Although this meal was prepared with mostly donated items, many of our perishable food items, such as meats and fresh produce, must simply be purchased
We refer to ourselves as a “Christian Feeding Ministry”, because the phrase “soup kitchen” is not apt. We provide a variety of selections and try to include three courses. These meals are nutritious and are prepared and served by volunteers who have attended classes to obtain food handler’s cards. Other volunteers, who do not cook or serve, work in the dining room. Every attempt is made to establish rapport with our clients. We often find ourselves offering a hug along with a meal, or listening to someone’s problems with an attentive ear.
The Carpenter’s Corner, Inc., has By-Laws and a Board of Directors. The Board of Directors consists of twenty-four members elected from the participating churches and the community. The members serve one, two and three year terms. Officers, elected annually, consist of a President, President-elect, Secretary and Treasurer.
