By Tara Kyle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
CHELSEA — Demand for the services of Chelsea's Holy Apostles’ Soup Kitchen — which serves roughly 1,250 meals daily to the city's homeless — has spiked over the past few years, in what Reverend Elizabeth Maxwell called a reflection of the ongoing economic recession.
According to the reverend, prior to the recession, Holy Apostles used to serve about 300,000 meals annually at its church at 296 Ninth Ave. Now, it’s closer to 330,000.
“The people who eat here tend to be the canaries in the coal mine,” said Maxwell.
Historically, most diners at the Church of the Holy Apostles are chronically homeless, like Elliot Carter, 48, who drifted into homelessness in 2001.
“[The Soup Kitchen] kept me from being hungry,” said Carter, over a lunch of sloppy Joes, pasta, potato salad, black-eyed peas and Jello on Monday. “Either this or people would be digging out of the garbage or shoplifting.”
But lately, Holy Apostles' diners include many people who are in between jobs. Some even still have homes, but could use a free meal from time to time to simply help them pay the rent.
“It doesn’t take a hell of a lot to become homeless in New York City, trust me,” Carter said. “You lose you’re job, you’re homeless. You get sick, you’re homeless.”
The church also offers extra referral services for its lunch guests, as well as in-house haircuts, chiropractic sessions, and even the occasionally funeral.
They try to keep the atmosphere comfortable during lunches. Volunteers often play the piano — on Monday, featured songs included John Lennon's "Imagine" and Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind."
Gregory Sargent, 23, who is originally from Long Island but has been homeless in New York City for the last three years, said he wished there were more churches like Holy Apostles.
"They talk to you like human beings, and they accept you for who you are," he said.
But rise in demand for Holy Apostles’ services comes at a time when funding from individual donors, foundations and government sources has diminished, forcing the church to make tough financial decisions, including layoffs and allowing recently vacated positions to go unstaffed.
"It's been a nightmare," said Maxwell. "But we're holding our own."
Alongside financial challenges, Holy Apostles' staffers are frustrated that the simple need for their lunches still exist. When soup kitchens like this one became popular in the early ’80s, conventional wisdom held that they were a temporary solution, according to Holy Apostles' executive director Reverend Glenn Chalmers.
The fact that they are now viewed as serving a permanent need left Chalmers flummoxed.
"To me that's shocking. We've just accepted it as part of the cultural landscape," said Chalmers.
