Since 2001, Soup Stop in Charleston has been providing meals to anyone who needs or wants one.

Eastern sends volunteers to the First Presbyterian Church once a week to help hand out free meals to the community.

Rachel Fisher, the director of EIU Student Community Service, said many students have been taking advantage of the opportunity to help the community.

“We’re excited because Soup Stop is a great program that provides a free meal Monday through Friday,” Fisher said.

The food is catered by What’s Cookin’ and anyone is eligible for a free meal and a to-go lunch when they leave, Fisher said.

“The goal is that every person who comes can get two meals,” she said.

Soup Stop runs on a volunteer basis, so Fisher said the organization is always needing more volunteers, especially around this time of year when the weather gets colder and Thanksgiving approaches.

“What’s really neat about Soup Stop to me is that it was born out of a group of people coming together and saying ‘We need to do something in our community for the folks who don’t have the opportunity to have lunch every day,’” she said.

Soup Stop is tied in with Eastern’s Hunger Challenge, which seeks to provide hunger awareness in the Eastern and Charleston community throughout November.

“The No. 1 reason that motivates volunteers to participate for the first time is that they were asked,” she said. “This gives students a direct call to action.”

Fisher said out of this, she hopes students promote some advocacy.

“We’re actually booked full (for volunteers) through mid-November, so it’s been amazing to see the support we’re getting for this program,” she said.

Soup Stop serves the community from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Charleston Monday through Friday.

Eastern’s community service program takes volunteers to Soup Stop on Thursdays during that time.

Since Soup Stop has specific food items they put in the to-go bag lunches, Fisher said they always need food donations.

Barbara Cooper, one of the volunteer coordinators for Soup Stop, said she calls for volunteers for about half of the year.

“I very much enjoy helping people get connected with Soup Stop,” she said. “It’s such a wonderful organization, and the Presbyterian Church has excellent facilities for it.”

Robyn Dexter can be reached at 581-2812 or redexter@eiu.edu.