from Verna’s Customs of Calatini

From the beginning, priests have offered charity meals to those who need it. Traditionally, priests give free meals to parishioners at the temple side doors during meal times until the temple’s excess food was gone. However, in larger towns and cities, that isn’t enough for the need for free meals, so in the middle of the fourth century, the first almskitchen was created in Ormas.

Currently in Ormas, there are 48 almskitchens open in winter, and 24 during the warmer months. There are fewer almskitchens during warmer months because the need for free meals is less since food is more readily available as well as more jobs are available. Each almskitchen serves around 1000 a day (usually only once), serving around 100 per hour, so around 5% of Ormas’s population receive free meals from almskitchens in winter.

At almskitchens, any who ask can receive a free meal, usually hearty soup, bread, and herb tea because that can economically serve many people. Open from several hours after breakfast through dinner, almskitchens are loud and chaotic, and the queues to receive meals are often long, taking at least an hour. Most recipients bring their own containers and take their soup home, although almskitchens have limited seating and dishes for those who wish to stay to eat.

Almskitchens are run by priests, but a quarter of almskitchens’ staff are volunteers, while half are poor parishioners hired to further the almskitchen’s charity. Split into two shifts, each almskitchen has 8 cooks making soup and tea, 2 bakers baking bread, and 10 servers serving food. On festivals, almskitchens also serve desserts; however, these are made by temple kitchens in advance then sent to the almskitchens to not make extra work for the busy almskitchens.

Almskitchens are run using donations from parishioners. The nobles and affluent typically donate money, while farmers or food merchants will donate food, often a certain percentage they can spare or food they can’t sell. Volunteers who act as almskitchen staff are usually charity-minded parishioners, and most volunteer 1-2 days per week.