History

Father Horace McKenna, Founder of SOME

SOME was founded by Father Horace McKenna, S.J. and an interfaith group of priests, ministers, and lay persons in 1970 to help the poor and destitute of our city. The first meals were served out of the basement of St. Aloysius Church on North Capitol Street in Northwest Washington, DC. When the number of homeless and poor coming to this soup kitchen grew, the operation moved to 71 'O' Street, NW, where it still remains and to more than a dozen other facilities and locations throughout the city.

Food is still what SOME is best known for, and, indeed, more than 900 meals are served each day by a large network of community volunteers from local churches, synagogues, and civic organizations. However, through the years, SOME has evolved into a comprehensive social service agency with a twofold mission: to meet people's immediate needs and to help them overcome the barriers that keep them homeless and destitute. SOME aims to empower the poor by helping people to help themselves out of homelessness and poverty with education, life skills, job-training, counseling, case management, rehabilitative services, and community development.

History of SOME Timeline (pdf, 38.8 KB)