Mount Pleasant City Commission approved a charitable gaming license a few weeks ago Isabella County Soup Kitchen. This will allow it to sell raffle tickets, which is something the nonprofit will be doing at its Black Tie fundraiser. Tickets to the event cost $100, and will include specialty foods, live music and cash and raffle prizes. Tickets can be purchased at the soup kitchen, located at 612 S. Adams St., during business hours.

The fundraising comes during an ever-growing amount of meals served at the kitchen. This August, Adkins said the soup kitchen served 2,722 meals, not including breakfasts. She said the soup kitchen often served more than 100 lunches each day. But, this number will only continue to increase, she said, as more people will need to go to the soup kitchen.

“I hope less people will use this service,” Adkins said. “But unfortunately, that’s just not where we’re at.”

Along with increased productivity, the soup kitchen is the only place in Mount Pleasant that provides hot meals for those suffering from food insecurity. In fact, the Isabella County Soup Kitchen is one of nine full-time soup kitchens that serves hot food daily in the lower peninsula of Michigan, according to research from the kitchen’s campaign chairs.

In order to meet the growing demands, the soup kitchen began renovating Sept. 9. These renovations include:

· Increasing the size of the dining space.

· Updating bathrooms to accommodate people with disabilities.

· Replacing the walk-in freezer/cooler unit, which is old and starting to malfunction.

· Expanding office/staff and volunteer space.

· Replacing the roof that is almost 20 years old.

· Installing a bus shelter by the building.

· Installing a front entrance that is accessible for people who have disabilities.

These renovations are expected to be completed by January of 2020, Adkins said.

It seems the soup kitchen already has support from the city. The City of Mount Pleasant has been “100 percent supportive” of the renovations, she said.

Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Joseph said the soup kitchen helps people of the community, which includes feeding people who are staying at the Isabella County Restoration House.

“A huge part of combating poverty and homelessness (is fighting) food insecurity,” Joseph said. “What (the soup kitchen) does is really important work.”

Along with the fundraiser, Adkins said people can support the soup kitchen by volunteering. She said the soup kitchen has a lot of volunteers from Central Michigan University, including Tori Seidel, a junior from Centreville. Seidel said she regularly volunteers at the soup kitchen and recommends doing it. As she continued to volunteer there, she said she fully began understanding how important the soup kitchen was for people.

“After being there quite a few times and seeing the same people every single time I was there, it was the (realization) that (the soup kitchen) was such a huge part of their life,” Seidel said. “I was just there a couple of hours, but for them, that’s a huge part of their (lives) and something they probably look forward to.”

You can learn more about donating and volunteering for the soup kitchen by visiting their website.