Surge in demand pushes soup kitchen to breaking point

A voluntary soup kitchen which dates from the Famine is now serving about 900 free meals a week — almost five times more than it was before the recession hit.

The explosion in demand at Cork Penny Dinners prompted the group to issue an urgent public appeal last night for temporary premises so it can begin a €400,000 revamp of its city centre property.

“We were providing meals for between 20 to 30 people a day around 2008,” said Caitriona Twomey, one of the Penny Dinners trustees.