Our Mission

The mission of the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (DESK) is to provide free, nutritious meals for homeless individuals and families, and the working and non-working poor of the greater New Haven area. To this end, DESK provides daily hot evening meals, bag lunches, weekly food pantry bags, and an emergency food bank for people in crisis. DESK also has a Pet Food Pantry and a biweekly Food Supplement program for seniors. All of DESK’s services are free.

Services We Provide

Evening Meals

DESK provides free hot meals for hungry individuals and families seven nights a week.*

Meal Schedule
Food Pantry

DESK operates a food pantry every Wednesday for those who need extra help bringing food home.

Pantry Schedule
Emergency Food Bank

DESK offers emergency food assistance to families and individuals  suffering from a crisis.

Learn More

How You Can Help

The Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen relies on individual donors and grants from foundations in order to maintain the much-needed food programs it operates.

Individuals can make one-time contributions as well as recurring donations that will help to sustain and grow our efforts.

While it may not seem like much, a $5 donation can make a big difference in helping us to serve those in need.

If you have a dollar to spare or are interested in making DESK your primary philanthropic beneficiary, please click here.

Our small staff relies on volunteers each day to be able to meet the needs of our clients. From meal prep and service to cleanup to food pantry administration, there are a number of ways for people and organizations to get involved.

We also provide an opportunity for those seeking to meet community service commitments to have a positive impact.

If you are interested in becoming a DESK volunteer, click here.

*Some meals are suspended during summer and Yale academic holidays.