Soup kitchen recognized as "highly cost-effective and impactful"

The Franciscan Charities soup kitchen has earned a 100/100 rating from Charity Navigator for its impact and results, a recognition of that program as highly cost-effective and impactful.  

“We’re extremely proud of the hard work and dedication of our staff and volunteers in persisting during these difficult times to feed the neediest of our neighbors here in Newark,” said Franciscan Charities Board President Greg Langan.  

During the first year of the pandemic alone, while most Newark soup kitchens and food pantries closed, Franciscan Charities pivoted to outdoor meal service and continued to serve more than 64,000 meals.  

Charity Navigator, America’s largest and most-utilized independent charity evaluator, launched its Encompass Rating System in 2020 to evaluate smaller and more recently established organizations. Through that system, the rating organization has been analyzing organization performance based on four key indicators:  Finance & Accountability, Impact & Results, Leadership & Adaptability, and Culture & Community. Ratings for those indicators, called “beacons,” are ongoing.

 “The Impact and Results beacon assesses the direct impact of a nonprofit's program,” according to the rating organization.  “To issue an Impact & Results score, we estimate the actual impact a nonprofit has on the lives of those it serves and determine whether it is making good use of donor resources to achieve that impact.”

Founded in 2004, Franciscan Charities has worked with more than a thousand volunteers to help our neighbors in Newark--serving over one million meals; distributing more than 20 thousand coats, hats, gloves, scarves hats, and toys; supplying school supplies and backpacks to more than a thousand Newark students; providing countless packs of personal hygiene products and diapers; and resolving thousands of social service and welfare issues.