Soup kitchen reintroduces sit down meals which ceased during pandemic

Olivia Kelleher

A charity soup kitchen in Cork, which can trace its history back to the famine, has reintroduced its sit-down dining service five days a week

The traditional sit down meal at Cork Penny Dinners ceased during the Covid pandemic. Service users were instead given the option of taking their meals away. Around 500 meals are now handed out daily.

The service moved from Little Hanover Street in the city centre in 2024 having been based there for 75 years. It is now located in James Street in the city.

The sit down service will run from 9am to 1pm on weekdays. The takeaway meals system will continue to be available for a period to allow service users time to adjust to the changes.

Cork Penny Dinners general manager Sharon Murphy told Cork’s 96FM that the return to sit down meals is about giving people “dignity, connection and a sense of community.”

Meanwhile, the service has in the region of 30 volunteers. They are in the market for new volunteers following the decision to start reoperating sit down meals.

The new facility at James Street has a larger kitchen with cold rooms, a computer room and a meeting space which serves as a hub for community support.

For information on how to donate or volunteer, go to corkpennydinners.ie.