During this cold winter in Kent, a shivering man walks into Kent Social Services on South Water Street on a Thursday afternoon, quickly relieved by the warmth and scent of chili he’s grown familiar with.

James Portner, a frequent visitor to the kitchen since 2021, is an older, bearded man who has relied on its services to get by ever since being laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic, presumably because of his age and an injury to his back he sustained a few years prior.

Kent Social Services has been serving Portner and anyone else in need of hot meals since the late 1990s, and continues to do so five days a week from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., no questions asked.

The meals provided are only half of what makes the soup kitchen special, with the community built from it making up the rest.

“Outside these services, I have no support,” Portner said. “It’s nice to see the same crowd when I’m in here and get a meal out of it too.”

Portner and some of these familiar faces come to this well-lit, brick building that has a television and plenty of chairs and tables to sit at from open to close, looking for a comfortable place to go. 

At about 11:30 a.m., a dozen or so visitors line up for a meal prepared and served by volunteers.

“I appreciate what they do for us. It’s not easy to be kind and deal with all types of people,” Portner said. “I know when I was better off, I never volunteered or anything like that.”

The kitchen needs volunteers to help prepare, cook and serve meals, as well as clean up the kitchen and tables once everything is done. Those interested in volunteering can go to their volunteer page to learn more.

Kent Social Services also offers its hot meals on the second and fourth Thursday of the month from 4-5 p.m., allowing visitors a chance to get two free meals on those days.

“The food varies, but everything is pretty much homemade,” said Marquice Seward, program manager. “There can be meatloaf, mashed potatoes, vegetables, fruits, and we even have someone that comes in and bakes nice desserts for us.”

The people who receive help from the soup kitchen can use the money and resources they saved from it for additional help, such as a bus pass or enough gas to make it to a shelter or a job interview. 

“This place has saved me the little energy and money I have left to make it somewhere safe to stay,” Portner said, “whether it’s a shelter or an old friend’s place, just for the night.”

Kent Social Services also has a food pantry in the same building for people and families living in Kent to use twice a month by appointment if they meet the income threshold. 

“I know some people who have used the pantry, and even though it only gets you through a couple days,” Portner said, “that’s a couple less days you have to worry about how you’re going to get your dinner.”

Depending on their supply and donations, the pantry can have a variety of foods from canned vegetables to frozen meat that can be used to make meals at home for people struggling to buy groceries.

“There was a couple that was living out of a tent coming in for daily meals,” Seward said. “We encouraged them to stay focused, and they both ended up getting a job and housing, so they went from coming to get hot meals to getting groceries from my pantry for their cupboards.”

Kent Social Services’ name may be somewhat misleading, Seward said, because it mostly serves as a food program. 

However, as a part of the larger Family & Community Services, Seward and her staff and volunteers are able to refer them to other related programs to meet different needs. 

“I always wanted to do something where I gave back,” Seward said, “and working here felt more right than just sitting behind a desk, not being engaged and not making a real difference.”

Will Jernigan is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].