Side Streets columnist Bill Vogrin enjoyed a lunch of beef and vegetable soup, Shepherd's pie and fruit salad at the Marian House Soup Kitchen on Sept. 18, 2013. No one is turned away and no questions are asked of folks who show up for meals.
Stacy Poore, Care and Share client development officer, looks over the food pantry at Mercy's Gate, a collaboration of several churches and one of 136 partner agencies with the food bank of southern Colorado. Photo courtesy Shannon Coker / Care and Share.
Mercy's Gate volunteers Walt Schuman and Lenore Swaim help clients fill their grocery carts with canned goods, breads, produce, diapers and much more. Bill Vogrin / The Gazette
The Mercy's Gate food pantry is a collaboration of several churches in Colorado Springs. It is hosted by Rocky Moutain Calvary Church near Austin Bluffs Parkway and Academy Boulevard. It is one of 136 food pantries and soup kitchens operating in the region and partnering with Care and Share, the food bank of southern Colorado. Bill Vogrin / The Gazette
The Marian House Soup Kitchen in downtown Colorado Springs. Bill Vogrin / The Gazette
Sam Edwards, vice president of Poverty Reduction at the Marian House Soup Kitchen, displays the massive "tilt skillet" used to prepare large quantities of food. Next to it is the 55-gallon soup kettle. Bill Vogrin / The Gazette
Paul Konecny, director of the Marian House Soup Kitchen, is seen in the kitchen on Sept. 18, 2013. The kitchen, sponsored by Catholic Charities of Central Colorado, serves about 650 meals a day. Bill Vogrin / The Gazette
Paul Konecny, center, is director of the Marian House Soup Kitchen. He is seen in the center of the main dining room on Sept. 18, 2013, prior to the doors opening at 10:30 a.m. The kitchen, sponsored by Catholic Charities of Central Colorado, serves about 650 meals a day. Bill Vogrin / The Gazette
The Marian House Soup Kitchen at 14 W. Bijou St. in downtown Colorado Springs serves about 650 meals a day, no questions asked, to the region's hungry. It offers a host of related services to the needy, as well. Bill Vogrin / The Gazette.
