For 20 years, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church played a vital role in feeding the hungry in the Belfast area, providing both volunteers and financial support for a local soup kitchen. In 2009, St. Francis joined a cluster of churches under St. Brendan the Navigator Parish, it became financially unsustainable for the church to continue operating the soup kitchen.

 

Seeing the need in the community, a dedicated group of community members took action and formed the Belfast Soup Kitchen as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2010.

 

Driven by the belief that no one in their community should go hungry, the organization began serving meals from the basement of the “Red & White” building. As demand grew, it became clear that a larger, permanent space was needed. After three years of searching for a suitable location, the Board of Directors determined that building a new facility was the best long-term solution.

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Construction on the new Belfast Soup Kitchen at 31 Belmont Ave began in 2019 in partnership with 2A Architects and thanks to tremendous community support. Despite pandemic-related delays, the doors officially opened June 2020. At that time, the Belfast Soup Kitchen served 40-50 meals a day. As of 2025, that has grown to over 400 meals a day. This growth shows the Belfast Soup Kitchen's commitment to meeting the needs of our community, ensuring our mission reaches an ever-growing number of people in need.

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Today, the Belfast Soup Kitchen is the only full-time soup kitchen and food pantry in Waldo County, operating five days a week, 52 weeks a year, to serve those in need throughout the community.