Manna House, the oldest of Baltimore's soup kitchens, is having trouble filling the pot these days. And managers fear the venerable Barclay charity may have to cut back operations if donations -- both financial and food -- do not increase.
"We've had serious financial problems, and that arose from us being goody-two-shoes and keeping things open beyond when we had money," said Executive Director Esther R. Reaves. "We're not going to go under, but we may have to change things some."
Manna House, which has been serving the poor since 1973, does not receive local or state funds. It relies mostly on private donations and contributions, although it recently received a $7,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
But contributions to Manna House -- and some of the city's approximately 60 other soup kitchens -- have slipped in recent months. "People who used to send $50 now send $25. I guess they just don't have the money," Ms. Reaves said.
Manna House, located on East 25th Street and open only on weekdays, has a yearly operating budget of about $230,000. Nearly half is spent on the salaries of three part-time and three full-time employees. So far this fiscal year, the soup kitchen has received $138,000 in donations.
Until September, Manna House operated a 55-bed nightly shelter and a transitional shelter for homeless families. Financial problems forced the nightly shelter to close.
Manna House is not the only local soup kitchen to have troubles. Sister Gwynette Proctor, director of Our Daily Bread downtown, said contributions have dropped noticeably in the last two years. "The donations are down, but we appreciate the continued generosity of the people who do contribute."
Even during the holiday season -- when many contributors give as a way to receive a year-end tax write-off -- donations are down.
"We had to make a special appeal to ask for donations," said Susan Bradford, director of development at the Franciscan Center soup kitchen on Maryland Avenue.
At the United Way of Central Maryland, which does not contribute funds to Manna House, officials said contributions are ahead of last year's pace. "We're trending up right now, but it's a tough climate to raise money right now," said Norman O. Taylor, president of the local United Way.
Food donations to most soup kitchens also are down. But the Maryland Food Bank currently has enough perishable, nonperishable and prepared foods to supply soup kitchens, said Bill Ewing, executive director of the food bank.
"We have a good supply for the foreseeable future, but it comes and goes," Mr. Ewing said. Each soup kitchen in Baltimore can get one allotment per week from the food bank, he added.
Manna House's problems are unwelcome news for the nearly 200 people who come there each day for a solid meal, a warm environment and a brief respite from the streets.
"I don't get any kind of money from anywhere right now, so this is important to me," said Dave Kelly, 34, a Harford County native who has been homeless for about a year. "Without this place and places like this there'd be a lot of people dying."
Roy Anthony Williams, 40, was shot five times during a robbery late last year. His elbow was shattered by the bullet and he's had three operations since. He said that because of the shooting, he lost his construction job, his girlfriend and was homeless for four months.
"That's when I started coming here because I didn't have nothing and couldn't do nothing for myself," Mr. Williams said. "I'm lucky to be alive. I've seen people get shot once and the ground hog brings them their mail."
Without the soup kitchen, he said, he wouldn't starve, "but it would make life very hard on me."