Arena's dishes up sandwiches at Lewes soup kitchen

A Lewes soup kitchen got a helping hand from a local restaurant chain April 5.

Staffers from Arena’s dropped by Lewes Presbyterian Church, which hosts the lunches September through May.

While many such operations are designed to help the homeless, Outreach Committee Chairwoman Micky Vessels said the Lewes church attracts people from various walks of life. Some are down on their luck, some are just in search of good food and company.

“I prefer to call it a ‘soup fellowship,’” Vessels said. “We have a lot of widows and widowers. We have a donation box for free-will offerings, and that helps to augment the church’s annual budget.”

Vessels and three other staffers usually cook an assortment of homemade soups and prepare sandwiches each Monday. On Tuesdays, they are joined by 16 active church volunteer servers to serve the food and clean up afterward.

About 75 to 100 people attended the April 5 gathering. The Arena’s connection came about casually, Vessels said.

“I was at their café at the Village of Five Points one day and I was going over my list for Tuesday,” Vessels said. “There was a nice young man writing on a note pad, and I asked him for a piece of paper.”

That man was Matt Evans, who co-owns the café chain which also has two locations in Rehoboth. Evans, whose mother attends the church, volunteered to help out and said he hopes other local restaurants will hear about it and also chip in. The Lewes-area Surf Bagel business already provides free bagels every week.

The lunches are held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each Tuesday. Those who want to chip in can call Vessels at 645-4674.