 While the sharing bread soup kitchen in Brainerd is facing major financial difficulties going into the holiday season, Sarah Winkelman spoke with the manager to hear about the future of the local service. It's fun. Sharing bread soup kitchen is really fun. Bob Evans is passionate about the soup kitchen that has been serving the Brainerd community for the past 30 years. We open the doors every day to hungry people. We don't ask any questions. People just come in. You just have to be hungry. That's the only qualifier. After purchasing a new building on Oak Street in 2015, most of the savings have been used up and the usual donation cycle has been disappearing. We simply haven't had the resources to supply that need and the last couple of months have been very, very challenging. Unlike what everybody thinks, it's not usually soup. Ground turkey. Lots of ground turkey. Good for casseroles. It's just good homemade food and thank goodness for the people who donate. On Fridays, it's typical to see about 70 people coming in to get a good healthy meal. On tonight's menu, it's tuna casserole, mixed vegetable and fruit. You know, all this food doesn't just come here magically and, you know, this is a wonderful place. It's usually pretty full every time. The soup kitchen is open seven days a week with an opening time of 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sundays. We're part of a community that serves needy people and nobody needs to go to bed hungry. With the cold and snowy season upon us, the goal of raising $20,000 by Thanksgiving is fast approaching. But Bob is saying hopeful that the money will come through. If we don't get this done, it is it is a serious matter. It could be that we'll discover that that kind of support for sharing bread soup kitchen that's been here for 30 years is no longer there, in which case, I guess we'll all have to accept the inevitable demise of what has been a wonderful ride. The crew is staying optimistic about the future of the sharing bread soup kitchen. Reporting in Brainerd, Sarah Winckelman, Lakeland News.