MISSION POSSIBLE is a book with a simple purpose: to spur the development of new soup kitchens where they are needed

The book and the website are underwritten by the Tuchman Foundation, headed by Martin Tuchman, the conceiver of the project and one of the book’s co-authors.

The book contains 14 chapters and 4 appendices. Each chapter is composed of two sections: a two to three page overview of the subject followed by a list of tips, guides to some of the more subtle operations of a soup kitchen.

The book is organized in chronological fashion. It will take you from very conceptual considerations to relatively detailed instructions on the most common challenges you will face. In all cases, our essential goal has been to be practical and helpful.

Since the books release in July 2011 and its availability as a downloadable file, individuals in all 50 states and more than 150 different countries have downloaded the book.

The Good

Two good compromises were recently reached. One was in New Jersey and the other in Los Angeles. In New Jersey, a compromise was reached that increased the minimum wage from $8.75 per hour to $15 by 2024. During his campaign for Governor, Phil Murphy strongly committed to the drive for $15. To strike a deal with Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester) and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex) the Governor agreed to push back the implementation deadline for farm workers and seasonal and small businesses. Unfortunately, the compromise didn’t include a carve-out for teens 16-18 years of age.

A Progressive Perspective: There are too many democratic presidential candidates
The Trentonian Newapaper
By Irwin Stoolmacher

At the present time, there are 16 announced Democratic candidates for the Presidency and there are a few others still contemplating running, including Joe Biden. In all likelihood the Democrats will end up with a larger field than the record-setting Republican field in 2016. It is a field that could overwhelm a nominating process designed to chose among a relatively few candidates. The results could be a contested convention.

A Progressive Perspective: The Christie Memoir: Classic Chris Christie
The Trentonian Newapaper
By Irwin Stoolmacher

Prior to the coming of President Donald Trump, there was Governor Chris Christie. Generally it is an oxymoron to use the term “mini” when describing anything about Governor Christie. He is a gargantuan political figure – bigger, bolder and more boisterous than any New Jersey politician in recent memory.

A Progressive Perspective: The Florida Project: A thought provoking film
The Trentonian Newapaper
By Irwin Stoolmacher

President Trump faced immense political pressure on the issue of separating families at our borders while they awaited a determination of their immigration status. The airways were replete with childcare experts explaining how the separation of young children from their mother and their placement in detention centers can cause irrefutable developmental damage. Even if every children and parent were reunited which is not going to happen since many parents were deported while separated, the effects of this policy will be long-lasting traumatic impact on the children. The Florida Project, a movie that played in area theaters last year and is currently available on Netflix, dealt with this issue in a thought-provoking manner.

A Progressive Perspective: The Democrats Could Lose in 2020
The Trentonian Newapaper
By Irwin Stoolmacher

Donald Trump has been, by far, the worst President in my lifetime. I’ve previously described him as nefarious, wicked, evil, vile, foul, abominable, odious, depraved, monstrous, fiendish, diabolical, unspeakable and despicable. He is an amoral lying unethical demagogue who has no compulsion what-so-ever to use racism and xenophobia to further his aims. Yet, I believe there is a good chance he will be re-elected President in 2020, in spite of the Democrats excellent showing in the mid-year elections.

Why the Border Wall Now?
The Trentonian Newapaper
By Irwin Stoolmacher

Why all of a sudden is President Trump fixated on erecting a border wall on our southern border when there is not a scintilla of evidence that we are being flooded by hoards of illegal immigrants entering from Mexico? What changed since the President launched his campaign for the presidency three and a half years ago? Why was he willing to shut down the government over something that he could have gotten fairly easily during the first two years of his presidency when the Republicans controlled both houses of Congress?

Issues I’m not sure about
The Trentonian Newapaper
By Irwin Stoolmacher

I am generally not wishy-washy on most issues There are, however, four issues that I’m not sure where I stand on – how to make baseball more appealing, term limits for elected officials, addressing the overabundance of deer in my home town and whether marijuana should be legalized.

Editorial: Proposed cuts to food program are immoral
By NCR Editorial Staff

Sometimes it feels hard to keep up with the myriad scandals swirling around the Trump White House. From alleged payoffs to a porn star and ongoing inquiries into Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election, the headlines come at a dizzying pace. The lurid spectacle of it all should not blind us to actual policy scandals that make a mockery of the administration's laughable claim to being "pro-life."

Op-Ed: Drastic SNAP Cuts Would Be Devastating Domestic Disaster
The Times of Trenton Newapaper
By Irwin Stoolmacher

In New Jersey, some 850,000 people receive more than $1 billion annually from SNAP to help buy food. Converting the program to a block grant would slash funds

Hunger affects one out of seven American men, woman, and children. Some 42.2 million Americans live in food-insecure households, including more than 13 million children. For this reason, America faces a potentially devastating domestic malnutrition disaster if the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp program) is converted to a block grant program and funding is slashed by $150 billion over 10 years.

With Money So Tight, We Need to Get Rid of Poor-Performing Charities
The Times of Trenton Newapaper
By Irwin Stoolmacher

America faces a potentially devastating domestic disaster the likes of which we have not seen in our history. As more and more charities seek money to deal with escalating problems, private support is stagnant and government money is on the decline.

A recent message received on the Mission Possible website from a Social Worker in Rhode Island

I saw your book advertised in the SUNY Binghamton Alumni News. I am a clinical social worker living in Rhode Island. Part of what I do here is run a transitional house for homeless adults. The Board and I are meeting shortly to consider new projects that we might undertake, as services for caring for the homeless population have undergone some shifts which have presented us with new challenges.

Book receives praise from South Africa

I just want to say thank you for the book. I'm based in South Africa and working with the Ward Councillor who wants to start several soup kitchens for his community. Thank You!

Archived News

Glowing Praise for Mission Possible:

"In these rough and tumble times, when the number of our neighbors who are hungry, or who are coming up short during any given month continues to escalate, the publishing of Mission Possible could not be more timely. The authors have done a great job of taking what was learned at the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) and used that base to build a bold "soup kitchen primer". If you want to start a kitchen, make yours more powerful or just learn more, then this is a great introduction. If you see need in your community, don’t wait…read this book, get involved, step UP…we need your help." - Robert L.E. Egger President, DC Central Kitchen Campus Kitchens Project/V3 Campaign

"This is the best and most complete guide that I have ever seen for anyone considering beginning a soup kitchen. Step by step it will guide - it covers everything - but it is so much more. For those soup kitchens ready to do more than provide a meal, this is a guide for you too. Food banks across the country are actively involved in building the capacity of the charities they serve. This is a great tool for doing just that." - Kathleen F. DiChiara | President and CEO |Community Food Bank of New Jersey

"Working in a soup kitchen is one the hardest yet most fulfilling tasks. Most, soup kitchen work is holy work. It’s God’s work. Of course, we need to abolish hunger, poverty, war and nuclear weapons, but as we work for justice, we need to feed our hungry neighbors, for they are God in disguise. This book shows us how to do that. It’s helpful, immediately practical and encouraging. I hope it inspires many people to feed the hungry." - Rev. John Dear, author, The Question of Jesus and A Persistent Peace

"Mission Possible is important and unfortunately most relevant for the simple but urgent fact that growing numbers of Americans go hungry due to the lack of money to purchase food. The authors are well respected leaders in the community with recognized skills and competence in the non-profit sector. This book is an outstanding overview of how to establish or enhance the functioning of Soup Kitchens, using the best practices of non-profit management." - Fran Dolan, Former Executive Director, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Trenton

"Mission Possible is a practical, deeply inspiring guide filled with basic information on how to start a soup kitchen. It is needed now more than ever." - Loretta Schwartz-Nobel, Author, Growing Up Empty: How Federal Policies are Starving America’s Children; Starving in the Shadow of Plenty

"Almost everyone wants to do something to make a difference. Visionary leaders of the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (T.A.S.K) have made a huge difference in the lives of their patrons and in those of us who have been privileged to work with them. Mission Possible is about the best practices that have changed peoples' lives for the better through a soup kitchen. Here's the model. Make a difference!" - E. Roy Riley, Bishop, New Jersey Synod, ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)

Want us to Speak at Your Event?

Authors Irwin Stoolmacher and Peter Wise are available to speak at your next conference or event.

Presentation Topics

Soup Kitchens: Band-Aid or Solution?
Are Soup Kitchen's Still Relevant?
How to Start a Soup Kitchen.
Soup Kitchens: Part of the problem or part of the solution?

Learn More

About the Authors

Irwin S. Stoolmacher, Martin Tuchman & Peter C. Wise have more than thirty-five years of in the trenches experience working with the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK).

Download Now

Download the entire book (PDF, 5.78 MB) complete with artwork.

How You Can Start and Operate a Soup Kitchen

MISSION POSSIBLE is a book with a simple purpose: to spur the development of new soup kitchens where they are needed

The Good