Our soup kitchen and food pantry serves 600 meals daily due to the asylum seeker crisis. Multiple shelters have popped up in our area and we are seeing record numbers visiting CHiPS. Between 2022 and 2023 the number of meals we served annually skyrocketed, increasing from 50,000 to 170,000. We are staffed by a group of dedicated volunteers who come together to ensure our neighbors have a place to turn for delicious, healthy meals.
CHiPS offers a friendly environment, where we are committed to making our guests feel at home. We know many of their names, favorite meals, and birthdays. Guests are not asked to provide identification or to participate in religious activities; our kitchen serves the hungry regardless of immigration status or religious beliefs.
When it comes to food, CHiPS meals are some of the healthiest around. Nearly 80% of the food we prepare is donated by businesses such as Trader Joes, ReThink, and City Harvest, which means that it is fresh and organic. Restaurants nearby often donate a variety of meals, so guests enjoy a variety of items from fresh-baked goods to barbeque.
We now have a professional chef on staff to ensure that our guests can continue to enjoy fresh and delicious food every day.
In 2020, we adapted our dine-in soup kitchen to a “Grab n Go” model, allowing guests to grab delicious food on the go.
Our breakfast program from 9-10:30 AM, Monday through Saturday, offers guests bagels, eggs, cereal, pastries and coffee to help fuel their day. During lunch, each of our guests receives a bag containing a hot meal, a snack, and water. We currently serve as many as 400 people daily during our lunch services.