St. Paul’s Church in Brockton to close and soup kitchen must find new home

From Massachusetts-

At St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Wednesday, about 100 people turned up for a free, hot lunch at the 117-year-old building.

But the soup kitchen, which serves more than 100 people six days a week, may soon be moving. The Pleasant Street church is slated to close in the coming months, and the group that runs the program is seeking a more accessible location.

“The operative term is ‘transition,’” said Jill Wiley, president of the board of St. Paul’s Community, the nonprofit that runs the soup kitchen, which is called the Table.

The program has run for nearly 30 years and attracts volunteers and church groups from all over southeastern Massachusetts.

“The Table is something that will continue well into the future and, hopefully, expand; we had planned actually that we would have a hospitality and welcome center (and) activities,” she said. For months, the board has been searching for a new downtown location that is accessible to people in wheelchairs, Wiley said.

The program, which is almost 30 years old, will soon have to move from St. Paul’s, since the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts says the church is no longer affordable.

More here-

http://www.enterprisenews.com/features/x1673647588/St-Paul-s-Church-in-Brockton-to-close-and-soup-kitchen-must-find-new-home