Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen
     Message of Hope Bounceback Package
Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen is the largest emergency food program in the New York City area. We began
working with them in 2011, when the lines at the soup kitchen were growing and state funding had been
drastically cut. The messaging of their donor acquisition program had been how many meals they had
served over the last thirty years. We knew we needed to personalize the message and we needed to
greater engage the donor. Therefore we created a package which told several stories of soup kitchen
guests, George, Jose and Susan, who used the counseling and referral services available to them and
found their way off the soup kitchen line. To further engage the donor, we didn't ask to return a meal
ticket (as other soup kitchens have done), instead we asked the donor to sign a "message of hope" and
return to the Holy Apostle Soup Kitchen. These cards would be handed out to those guests waiting in line
at the soup kitchen. These cards have served as an effective acquisition tool as well as a sign of
encouragement from a donor to a soup kitchen guest.