While the Fulton Soup Kitchen may have found a new home, it comes with a price tag.
The cost of the new building - a former Casey's gas station of Fourth Street - will probably be free, but the utilities are something else.
"We were hoping the city would be on board with helping us help the community, which feeds the community," Fulton Soup Kitchen President Katherine Bader said this week.
During Tuesday night's Fulton City Council meeting, Randy Stevens, a volunteer with the soup kitchen, asked city officials if they would provide free utilities. The answer was no.
"There are many 501(3)(c) organizations in the community," City Administrator Bill Johnson said.
He added many have asked for free utilities but were denied.
"In our hearts, we (support you), but we don't want to be in the position to pick and choose," Johnson added
The new building is on East Fourth Street. Four years ago, the former Casey's gas station closed.
"Quite frankly, it looks like an eyesore," Stevens said.
After being approached by soup kitchen personnel, Casey's agreed to donate the building. The deed's transfer is in the process of being finalized.
Plans are to renovate and change out lighting. Bader added the building seems to be in good shape - including its kitchen, which still contains multiple appliances. Donated materials and labor should have it spruced up by Christmas.
"Once we get the keys to the building, we can start serving soup and little things," Bader said.
While the organization might acquire the building for free, there's still the matter of operating it as a soup kitchen.
According to city utility records, while the gas station was viable, the monthly utility bill averaged $1,640. The annual total was nearly $20,000.
Bader and Stevens said they think utility bills will be lower for a soup kitchen than for a 24/7 gas station.
Stevens said the soup kitchen has just $4,000 in its bank account and asked if the city would reconsider. He reckoned the soup kitchen serves primarily Fulton residents and offers them food and shelter during the day when local homeless shelters are closed.
"This (no answer) will mean maybe it won't be a soup kitchen," Stevens said. "You'd be spending money for the citizens of Fulton. Most of them live within four blocks of that facility."
Again, the answer was a reluctant but firm no.
"We've been asked by many others and the answer is always no," Johnson said, adding he felt bad about it.
Bader later said donations should enable the soup kitchen to afford the bills.
"We have some backing from different people," she said. "We can do it without the city. Some people think we're asking for something for free, but we were just hoping to get everyone on board."
A rough year
This is only the latest step in the Fulton Soup Kitchen's migration away from its long-time home at John C. Harris Community Center.
"It's been a rough ride, the last year and a half," Bader said.
The soup kitchen and Fulton Housing Authority came into conflict in January, when the housing authority temporarily suspended meals at the facility to work out concerns with the kitchen's board members. Among the issues raised were budgetary concerns and volunteer crews potentially failing to follow proper procedures.
Board members of both entities agreed to change meal hours so the housing authority could rent out the community center for Friday evening events, thus making up some of the $60,000 funding shortfalls imposed by government officials.
There was no official contract between the organizations and the soup kitchen paid no rent, officials said, but the kitchen had installed a commercial stove, freezers and most of its equipment.
In November, the soup kitchen's board decided it might be time to move on.
"I think in order to work with our homeless on life skills and provide those other services, going out on our own would be a good thing," Bader said in early November. "The pitfall (at the community center) is that we didn't have full access to the building."
In the meantime, Westminster College and caterer Fresh Ideas have been allowing the soup kitchen to bring guests to the dining hall for supper.
"All of our soup kitchen guests have been so appreciative," manager of Fresh Ideas Jade Bradford said. "The kids all wrote the sweetest notes for the staff."
The kitchen and Westminster had tentatively agreed to a 90-day limit on the arrangement. However, Bader said, the soup kitchen plans to end meals at Westminster today. It's the end of the month, and there are the upcoming holidays.
"Westminster is going on holiday, so it would've been complicated past that point," Bader said. "If somebody really needs food or a meal, they need to contact myself, Connie Cashion, Lisa Thornburg or Linda Roots who runs food pantry."
She added the soup kitchen welcomes donations as it prepares to take on the expense of operating its own building - the utilities deposit alone will be around $1,750. Contact Bader or Thornburg on Facebook to learn how to donate.