ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — St. Peter’s Kitchen in Rochester is a soup kitchen and charity that helps hundreds of people in our area. Next month, they are hosting a fundraising golf tournament, September 9th at Eagle Vale in Fairport. If you want to register, you can do so here.

Kelly Finnigan from St. Peter’s spoke to News 8 about the work the non-profit does, how it’s supported, and the golf tournament.

Talk to us about the work that St. Peter’s and maybe some of its history too.

Sure. Sure. Well, St. Peter’s kitchen is basically a soup kitchen on the near west side of, of downtown Rochester was founded 40 years ago. 1982. So we’re celebrating our 40th anniversary this year. In the old St. Peter and Paul parish, the Catholic parish on Brown Street. It originally was a Saturday soup and sandwich program where they hand out soup and sandwiches on a Saturday and it’s grown to today where we serve. We serve about 175 people a day, a hot lunch Monday through Friday. We also have a food pantry that we operate on Tuesdays and Thursdays mornings. We have social work programs. Next week, we’ll give out about 100 backpacks filled with school supplies to local school aged kids. And then we have programs with the holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, that kind of thing.

40 years, those are a lot of projects, a lot of people that you’re helping out as well. How do you guys keep up with that momentum? And that demand because you’re doing a lot of good work? How do you guys keep doing it?

it’s a great it’s a great place. We have a wonderful staff, we have six paid staff some part time, some full time. We survive completely on private donations. So donations from people in the in the communities from some local foundations as well. But I think we’re really, for the most part, operate and run by volunteers. We have over 100 Regular volunteers who come in and do all sorts of things from from prepping and cooking and serving food to cleaning, to helping with fundraising, to organizing events, stuff like that. So it’s we’re really a volunteer driven driven place.

Fantastic. And you mentioned so much of what you do is supported by private donations, but you also have this golf tournament coming up. As we mentioned, it is September 9 at Eagle Vale. You’ve been doing this for six years now. So something about it must be working. Talk to us about the golf tournament and why it’s a successful fundraiser for you guys.

Yeah, yeah, it’s, it is our by far our most successful fundraiser, and we’ve been doing it for six years. And so yeah, this year, it’s going to be on Friday, September 9 out at Eagle Vale Golf Club. We’re going to try to get about 100 golfers out there and raise some money for St. Peter’s also have some fun. While we’re doing it, hope the weather is good. And yeah, it should be a wonderful event.