Three words sum up this year’s holiday fundraising drive for the Sister Mary Loretto Memorial Soup Kitchen.

So close, again.

Donors gave $58,646.62 this year, almost $1,000 more than last year’s total of $57,646.80. While it was short of the $60,000 goal, this year’s total comes in the middle of a recession and is the highest total since Maj. John Wheeler became the Lockport Salvation Army director in 2004. The reason why is simple.

“It’s their kitchen,” Wheeler said. “It’s the community’s soup kitchen.”

The kitchen gives about 200 meals a day and runs at a cost of about $5,000 a month. Open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the kitchen is funded completely on donations. Although it is located in the Lockport Salvation Army building on Cottage Street and is staffed by Salvation Army volunteers, the kitchen is separate from the Army. Utilities and other costs of the kitchen are paid for by the donations it receives.

Donations came from all over the area and even the country. Some gave money instead of buying Christmas cards for each person in their family, while others gave in memory of loved ones. A number of businesses also donated money throughout the drive for a variety of reasons, some in memory of family or patrons. Earlier in the year, Wal-Mart donated a new energy-efficient convection oven for the kitchen.

Back in December, the kitchen received an anonymous $10,000 donation. It was the largest single donation of the drive. Each year, the drive begins the day after Thanksgiving and continues until Christmas Eve.

Instead of money some donated their time. The Lockport Rotary Club sponsored a Christmas dinner at the kitchen, providing the food and servers. While Rotarians were serving, second-graders from Charles Upson Elementary School were also at the kitchen. The kids donated bags of canned and nonperishable foods, a cooked turkey, a frozen turkey and some money. Some of the bags contained as many as six or seven cans of food.

Even though the holidays and the drive are over, the kitchen still takes donations at any time during the year. Wheeler said donations are given throughout the year, and volunteers are always needed.

The kitchen was named after the person who first opened it: Sister Mary Loretto. Sister Loretto began the kitchen at a Veterans of Foreign Wars hall before moving it in 1984 to the Salvation Army building on Cottage Street. The Salvation Army had just built an addition that was supposed to be used for banquets. Instead, the Army was more than thankful to take the soup kitchen in and continue Loretto’s legacy of caring for those less fortunate.

People such as Kenneth Seal appreciate it. Usually visiting the kitchen every day for lunch, Seal’s an original; he’s been coming since he retired in 1983, a year before the kitchen was moved to its current location at the Salvation Army. Seal said what brings him to the Sister Mary Loretto Memorial Soup Kitchen is the people, both volunteers who are working and other folks who are there for a meal. Seal said he enjoys talking with them. They’ll ask him where he’s been when he misses a day. But that’s not the only reason he comes.

“The food here is good,” Seal said.

Contact reporter Joe Olenick

at 439-9222, ext. 6241.



DONATIONS

$300

• Dr. and Mrs. Deshmukh of Lockport

$250 donation

• The Ski Lodge Bar and Grill of Lockport in memory of Joseph Szpilewski

$240

• Anonymous

$100

• John and Susan Witmer of Lockport in memory of departed loved ones

• Santo and Charlene Scrufari of Lockport in memory of Tony and Helen Beutel

• Douglas and Marcia Rathke

• Anonymous

$50

• Tom Lambalzer and family of Lockport in memory of wife and mother, Mary, and all our grandparents

• Terry and Donna Nieman of Lockport in honor of our parents, Ruth and Bill Nieman, Mickey and Wanda Ficarra

• Bob Simpson of Lockport in memory of Mary Roma Simpson

• Anonymous in memory of Sister Mary Loretto

• Anonymous in memory of bowling buddy Penny Ann Rizzo

$25

• Raymond Dreher of Lockport in memory of Regina Dreher

• Anonymous

$10

• Nancy Plache of Lockport in memory of deceased family members