This summer, sophomore Judah Thomas decided to make a difference to help people in need.

“I worked at a [soup] kitchen in Minneapolis for homeless people who came in and needed either lunch or dinners,” said Thomas.

Thomas found out about the soup kitchen through a friend, and their service together blossomed from there. He said, “We both went to it together, over the summer. And we’ve been doing it once a month during the school year.”

Thomas described each day at the soup kitchen as simple and fulfilling. “We showed up. We asked what needed to be done. The people told us where to go, and we got to work, like for example, there was either serving the food directly to the people or getting the plates back and cleaning them washing them.”

The kids that Thomas got to interact with at the soup kitchen really stood out to him. 

“There were little kids and the little kids always had fun. I love little kids.” 

To anyone interested in volunteering at a soup kitchen, Thomas gives this advice:

“Be kind, be very kind to the people. There’s a lot of people from different backgrounds and experiences so be open to all that.”

Some great opportunities to volunteer at soup kitchens are available in the Twin Cities for volunteers of *almost* every age.

Open Arms of Minnesota offers volunteer opportunities to any size group with multiple locations.

Meals on Wheels also has locations all over the Twin Cities with a variety of volunteering opportunities that create meals for people in need.