1980
The Friendly Kitchen has been feeding the homeless since 1980. Inspired by a speaker from the St. Vincent dePaul Society, Pauline Bell applied for and received a grant of $10,000 from Catholic Charities and on October 14, 1980, the Friendly Kitchen first opened its doors. That first night, Pauline served vegetable soup and sandwiches to four guests.
The Friendly Kitchen was named for its first home in the Friendly Club, a community activity center on South Main Street. For many years, volunteer Jim Ceriello, a retired police officer, coordinated supplies and oversaw the dining room, which served dinner three nights a week.
1982 - 1999
From 1982 through 1999, the Friendly Kitchen operated for two hours a day out of the Riverbend building on North State Street. Clients grew to an average of 35 a night and received five meals a week. Throughout these years, the supplies were housed in limited space at St. Peter's Church.
Early in 1999, at the urging of recently-appointed Board President Hope Zanes Butterworth, the board mustered up the financial courage and purchased a lovely old home located behind the Merrimack County Court House, at 14 Montgomery Street, a short walk from downtown Concord. With the help of many individuals, businesses, service organizations, and Steve Sarabia, a retired contractor, who led a construction crew supplied by the State's minimum security unit, the Friendly Kitchen opened the doors to its own home on October 23, 1999 - nineteen years and one week after its opening in 1980.
With the new opportunities (food and supplies in-house, access to a more functional facility and an expanded volunteer roster) the Friendly Kitchen began serving dinner seven days a week, added weekend breakfasts and mid-afternoon snacks, and added a winter weekday breakfast schedule to coincide with the church-based winter homeless shelters.
2004
Thanks to several designated capital gifts, the Friendly Kitchen was able to retire its mortage in June 2004, ten years ahead of schedule. To celebrate this milestone, the building was named "Hope House" to honor Hope Butterworth's vision, support, and tireless volunteer spirit. The small kitchen is now "Polly's Pantry" for its founder.
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