Soup Kitchen Softball Team Scores a Hit in New Haven

Brother Denys Cormier, a self-styled monk who runs a soup kitchen in the city, has gone to bat for the homeless by forming a softball team of street people.

This spring, the 35-year-old monk started the softball team, “The Soupers,” to raise money for the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (DESK).

The team is made up of 22 homeless men, ranging in age from the early 20s to early 30s, who regularly eat at DESK. The Soupers play all challengers and, win or lose, ask their opponents for a donation. So far they have raised about $2,000 for the soup kitchen. DESK is the only soup kitchen in the area which serves hot meals at night.

“We have 80 to 175 people to feed every day, and we needed a way to raise money,” Cormier says. “I like sports and thought it would be easy to play softball because there are so many teams in the city.”

The Soupers play about once a week and so far have won three and lost three. But more important than their record, “the team has given the players a sense of self importance,” Cormier says.

Team captain Gordon Petteway, 22, agrees. “This team breaks the stereotype of the homeless,” he said. “They aren’t bad people. No one wants to stay homeless. We want to get some wins. It makes the other guys feel like they belong to something good.”

A strong sense of camaraderie has also developed among the players, Cormier says. “We’ve thrown people together who were not necessarily friends and they’re now starting to gel. It’s great to see.”

The Soupers softball team has drawn support from the New Haven area and beyond and has offers to play at more games before the summer is through.