Soup kitchen forced to relocate after 30 years due to clergy sex abuse settlement

After 30 years in its current location across the Julale Shopping Center in Hagatna, the island’s only soup kitchen is looking for a new home. 

Archdiocese of Agana communications Director Tony Diaz explained what's next.  

"To be clear, we will continue this ministry of helping the poor and the homeless by providing daily meals to them," he said. "We’re just going to do it at another site that we’re still looking for."

The ministry to homeless soup kitchen sits on land that’s among multiple properties the island's Catholic church agreed to transfer as part of the multi-million dollar court-approved bankruptcy settlement that compensates victim-survivors of clergy sexual abuse. 

"The compensation agreement was approved last October last year," Diaz said. "We just want to do it in the time, the couple of months, that they’ve allotted us. But we work closely with the trustee and we thank him and the victim-survivors for understanding."

The soup kitchen now has just one to three months to find another venue. 

"We don't have any possible locations," Diaz said. "We welcome anyone that has a site that they think they can help us with."  

He says the soup kitchen has been a beacon of hope to the hungry for decades, making the move emotional. 

"There’s certain sadness that we’re going to be moving from this location, but we tell people don’t despair," Diaz said. "We’re going to do what we need to continue to do."

It’s especially heartbreaking for program manager Doris Royal.

She's been overseeing the soup kitchen for the past 12 years.

"It’s very heartbreaking. Only because this is the only soup kitchen where a lot of our homeless population go to get a hot meal," she said. "And sometimes it’s their only hot meal of the day that is being offered."   

Last year, they provided over 14,000 meals. So far this year– 10,000.

Royal estimates about 60 to 80 people depend on those meals daily. 

Diaz added those services may be interrupted as the soup kitchen transitions to a new location. 

"Upon the transition, there might be a period of time they won't be fed at least through the soup kitchen," he said. "But as soon as we can get it back up and running, we’ll do so and announce it to everyone."

Still both reassure the soup kitchen will continue to provide hot meals for those in need.

Don’t lose hope," Royal said. "Just pray we do find a facility. Even if we can’t find a facility, we’re going to figure out a way. Other options like maybe a food truck."