FEnfield Loaves and Fishes serves 100 thousand meals every year and relies only on community support to continue operating. Enfield Loaves and Fishes, the town’s only soup kitchen, announced today that it is seeking donations from the community to continue its operations as 2019 draws to a close.
“Without help from the community, we would be unable to continue all the work we do for the poor in Enfield,” said Priscilla Brayson, the organization’s director. “We help not only the poor, but the lonely, the destitute, the homeless and our brave veterans. Those in need will always be with us,” she said.
Brayson said that the community typically comes through for the group when it solicits help. “One of our female guests, who is homeless, lost all her belongings, including her tent, when someone threw them into the Connecticut River. We made a request on Facebook for tents so the homeless would have some shelter, and people came through for us in a huge way,” Brayson said.
The organization also provides healthful snacks for children to eat after school. “We all understand that children don’t always get the nourishment they need. And we are here to put a small dent in that problem,” Brayson said.
Brayson, who has been running Enfield Loaves and Fishes with her husband Murray for more than three decades, said she can’t imagine doing anything else. “I sort of fell into this job, but the rewards are so satisfying. Enfield Loaves and Fishes also don’t belong to any particular religious denomination, so we welcome volunteers of all stripes, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Brayson said.
(Editor’s note: Enfield Loaves and Fishes serves area towns including Suffield).