You don’t need to be Roman Catholic, or even religious, to get a feed at the *Suzanne Aubert Compassion Centre* (the ‘Soup Kitchen’). From 7:45 a.m.-8:45 a.m. at 132 Tory Street, they give out free soup, toast or bread, and a cup of tea/milo/coffee—normally Havana Supreme! Dinner is 4:45 p.m.-5:45 p.m. and the first meal is free. After that, it’s $2 a meal, or you can get seven for $10, or 14 for $20. Meals (main and sometimes a dessert) are offered Monday to Saturday, excluding Sundays and public holidays. Students are more than welcome; no-one will be asked why they’re there.
At 19 Gordon Place in Newtown, *Wellington City Mission/St Thomas’ Church* also provides meals for free or very cheap. Soup is offered every day; then on Mondays and Thursdays, you can get a full meal (main and a dessert) for extremely cheap. The last time I ate there, the main was a dollar; the dessert was 50c, and it was 20c for coffee/tea/milo.
The Salvation Army’s *Hope Centre*, on the corner of Normanby and Riddiford Streets, has free bread and lunch sometimes from Monday-Friday, depending on what they’ve had donated from Kabosh.
The *Newtown Community & Cultural Centre* also does free soup and bread on a Friday, and in winter, *Wesley Church* (on 75 Taranaki Street) has soup on a Thursday, along with a free concert series.
Don’t forget, there’s also the *Free Store*—situated right next to St Peter’s on Willis.