Thanks to a helping hand from the Pokagon Fund, leaders with Dowagiac nonprofit group The Stepping Stone will soon have all the pieces in place for their latest effort to help the community.

Earlier this month, the group received word that the Pokagon Fund — the organization that distributes a portion of the revenue from the Pokagon Band’s Four Winds Casinos to area charities, nonprofits and other agencies — approved a recent grant request for $5,000 made by The Stepping Stone Executive Director Tyree Blackamore. The director will use the money to pay for a commercial stove, refrigerator and other kitchen equipment for the group’s Stones Throw Soup Kitchen, which is currently under construction.

Members of The Stepping Stone have worked to get the soup kitchen — which will be located at 214 Miller St. in Dowagiac — up and running since the summer, Blackamore said.

“One of our goals is to help feed the hungry, and what better way to do that than with a soup kitchen,” Blackamore said. “That way, people can come down, grab a bite to eat and not have to worry about where their next meal is coming from.”

Many of the fixtures for the soup kitchen have already been purchased, including tables, chairs and other furniture, as well as utensils and equipment. All will remain once the kitchen equipment is installed will be paint work and other finishing touches.

“We basically have all the things we need at this point,” Blackamore said. “Putting all the pieces together now is our main goal.”

Once opened, the kitchen will serve soup and sandwiches to hungry members of the community five days a week. With additional funding, Blackamore hopes to add other dishes down the road.

Blackamore said he hopes to have the soup kitchen up and running by the end of December, ideally before Christmas.

“We at The Stepping Stone are very, very grateful for [The Pokagon Fund’s] generosity,” Blackamore said. “We look forward to making them proud for selecting us for this grant.”