Capuchin Soup Kitchen

01 / The story of this place

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During the depths of the Great Depression in 1929, Capuchin friars Solanus Casey and Herman Buss opened a soup kitchen on Mount Elliott Street to feed Detroit's hungry and unemployed, at a time when lines for a free meal could stretch for blocks. Casey, later beatified by the Catholic Church, spent years here as the humble doorkeeper who welcomed everyone who came for help, and the ministry grew into a broader network of Capuchin charities across the city. The original Mount Elliott site is now home to the Solanus Casey Center, a pilgrimage chapel and museum dedicated to him, while the soup kitchen itself moved a few blocks away to Meldrum Street in 2002. Nearly a century after it started, the kitchen still serves free meals and runs food, clothing and outreach programs for Detroiters in need.

1. Founded in 1929 by Solanus Casey and Herman Buss
2. Fed thousands of unemployed Detroiters during the Great Depression
3. Original Mount Elliott site is now the Solanus Casey Center
4. Soup kitchen moved to Meldrum Street in 2002
5. Still serves free meals today