Our History
42 Years of Community
Murray and Edna Black, the founders of The Soup Kitchen, believed that no one in Victoria should go hungry and wanted to help those in need. The Blacks, who were parishioners at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, approached the Rector at that time about using their basement to serve a daily meal to hungry guests.
Although the basement was only available in the morning, Murray and Edna believed that if just one meal a day was available, it should be a hot, hearty homemade soup filled with fresh vegetables and meat.
Our Founders
Murray and Edna’s soup kitchen opened on November 12, 1982, serving only 6 people the first day. The numbers quickly grew as those in need heard about the new meal service that operated Monday to Saturday between 9:00 am and 10:00 am. The Blacks did not just want to feed the hungry – they wanted diners to feel at home in a space meant especially for them – like a club, and so the 9-10 Club Serving Soup to the Hungry was born. It became a registered non-profit society, non-denominational charity, on June 21, 1988.
At first, Murray, Edna, and a few volunteers made soup in their homes. Occasionally the Dominion Hotel (now the Dalton) also supplied soup, and recipes were soon developed by the Empress Hotel. In time, and with the generosity of donors, the Cathedral’s basement kitchen was fitted with a professional stove, dishwasher, and a commercial steam kettle.
Eventually it became necessary to extend the meal service by one hour, starting at 8:00 am, but “9-10” remained part of the Society’s name. In 1996, the Saturday service was stopped as other downtown organizations began serving breakfasts on a rotating basis.
By the mid 1990s, The Soup Kitchen was serving from 75 to 250 diners per day. However, in 2010 as other organizations started their own daily meal programs, the numbers declined to an average of approximately 125 diners.
Changing Times
Leadership and Name Change
Due to ill health, Murray retired in 1996 and Hugh Saville, a long-time volunteer, became The Soup Kitchen’s second manager – carrying on the traditions of quality and compassion begun by the Blacks. Hugh managed The Soup Kitchen until 2000, when his declining health caused him to step down.
Another volunteer, Frank Carlow, took over as manager and worked tirelessly for the next 8 and half years. When he retired in 2010, rather than find one manager to run the operation, Sheila Connelly took over as Operations Coordinator – a position she holds today – with a team leader for each morning reporting to her.
In 2012, the Board made the decision to change the name from the 9-10 Club to The Soup Kitchen (although the legal name remains 9-10 Club Serving Soup to the Hungry Society).
14 Month Re-Location
Cathedral Renovations
In 2014, St. Andrew’s began a 14-month renovation of the Cathedral’s basement. This meant that The Soup Kitchen faced either closing for the duration or finding another venue from which to operate. After much searching, Our Place agreed to provide space so that the organization could continue to serve its diners. Their generosity kept The Soup Kitchen operational until it returned to the newly renovated space at St. Andrew’s in April 2015, that included a state-of-the-art kitchen facility.
Covid-19
Persevering Through the Pandemic
In March 2020, the city all but completely shut down due to COVID. Despite immediately losing two thirds of its volunteers, The Soup Kitchen made the major decision not to close its doors, but to remain open as a takeout service. The volunteers knew that its diners depended on this meal service. With generous financial donations and grants from the Greater Victoria community, the Society expanded its new bagged meals to not only include soup but also sandwiches, fruit, extra proteins, and bottled water.
Today
The Soup Kitchen
Today The Soup Kitchen serves between 120 and 200 people from Monday to Friday, including holidays. Over 100 volunteers work in various capacities including making daily fresh soups and sandwiches, preparing vegetables, bagging, and handing out meals. There is also a dedicated team picking up bread donations from Cobs Bread Bakery four evenings a week.
The Soup Kitchen is a remarkable place. Staffed by volunteers and funded by community donations – for over 41 years its has remained true to Murray and Edna’s vision of feeding soup to the hungry in our community!
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The society is a registered charity in Canada (charitable registration number 132001553 RR0001) and a registered society in British Columbia (23789). A tax receipt will be issued for all donations.
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