Claremont Soup Kitchen Ends Sit Down Lunches, Cuts Staff Hours

The Claremont Soup Kitchen suspended its sit down midday lunch service and trimmed staff hours on December 12 as a cost stabilization measure, the organization said. The nonprofit will continue to serve weekday breakfast Monday through Friday and dinner seven days a week, and it will offer to go lunches for breakfast patrons so clients retain a midday meal option.

The move follows a year of sharply higher expenses and reduced funding. Monthly operating costs run near forty thousand dollars. Major unplanned costs this year included a twenty thousand dollar air conditioning repair alongside vehicle repairs and higher heating bills. At the same time the organization has experienced declines in grants and private donations. The board has set a goal of building cash reserves equal to about three months of operations, which would be roughly one hundred twenty thousand dollars.

Executive Director Angela Bark has been the organization s only full time employee since February. Board members described the service adjustments as necessary to stabilize finances while sustaining core meal programs. A recent anonymous one hundred thousand dollar gift and other year end donations provided relief, but officials say long term stability will require additional resources.

Demand for assistance has risen dramatically. About four hundred eighty family units now receive monthly food boxes. The kitchen saw roughly one hundred new assistance requests over a recent two month period, compared with a typical twenty requests. Programs recorded record usage, including about seventeen thousand five hundred meals served to children during July and August.

The board plans to request municipal funding from the Claremont City Council in 2026, placing the soup kitchen s needs directly into local budget discussions. A council decision will require balancing city budget priorities, and could prompt public hearings and opportunities for resident input. For voters and civic groups, the funding request presents a clear point of engagement on local social safety net priorities ahead of next year s municipal budgeting cycle.

For families who rely on midday congregate meals, the switch to to go lunches and reduced staff hours will affect access and the social supports that come with communal dining. The kitchen s changes underscore broader pressures on community nonprofits and the practical choices facing local leaders as demand for basic services rises.