Volunteers served served 4,111 meals in February, down slightly due to the shorter month, Kitchen Director Edward Morgan reported. March, however, is all about offering meals-to-go, he said.

Those February lunches were divided among 3,082 adults, 712 senior citizens, and 317 children.

“Our eight-month total — July 1, 2019 through February 29, 2020 — is 38,746 meals,” he said.

With business and school closings and the need to take extra precautions during the coronavirus pandemic, Mother Marianne’s West Side Kitchen converted to offering hot meals-to-go during the week (and bagged lunches on the weekend).

With the shutdowns, the soup kitchen is receiving “no food from colleges,” “no food from area restaurants who are struggling,” “no collections because churches are closed.”

“While this may seem dire, we are in good shape, and have a lot of canned goods,” he noted. “Fresh fruit and vegetables along with meat are our big items to purchase weekly.”

He added: “My estimation on increased costs due to take-outs will be about $300 per week.”