The parish at Vladivostok rents a cafeteria three days a week—Monday, Wednesday, and Friday—to provide nutritious meals for the elderly, who are generally very poor. The meals are served in downtown Vladivostok, which means that the elderly can take the trolley to the location for free (trolley rides are free for those who are officially retired).

On their own, the elderly can usually afford only dry bread and tea. We serve hot soup, meat, cooked buckwheat, vegetables, meat pies, brown and white breads, dessert, and hot coffee with cream and sugar. Generous portions are offered so that the diners can take home the leftovers for the following day, on which there will be no meal offered.

Feeding the poor a nutritious meal.

Caritas staff visit with the poor during the meal. The staff believes it is important to learn who the people are, because that way they can find out who is in need of medical care or other special services. Several parishioners volunteer at the soup kitchen and are also recipients of the hot meals. Caritas sometimes brings in entertainers.

The mission would like to be able to serve hot meals five days a week, but the parish does not have the money to expand the program at this time.