BROCKTON — After months of planning, Bridgewater resident Peter Kelleher, better known as the “Soupman,” finally unveiled his portable shower unit Monday to provide free showers to the area’s homeless population.
Stationed outside of The Haven, a nonprofit day center for the homeless located in downtown Brockton, Kelleher said roughly 25 to 30 people had the opportunity to take a shower in the three-unit shower trailer and grab clean clothes that volunteers handed out.
“They came out with all new clothes on … they were smiling,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about. Just to put a smile on someone’s face that just have nothing (and) have nothing to look forward to. We all take so much for granted, whether it’s a shower or a clean pair of socks.”
Kelleher’s movement to help the homeless started after his son, Travis, died in 2016 of a drug overdose in Bangor, Maine. Travis had also experienced homelessness alongside addiction, which led Kelleher to start handing out soup to the homeless, earning him his moniker of “The Soupman,” in Brockton the following year.
Since then, the effort has exploded, expanding into backpack drives to hand out supplies, forming a “Support the Soupman” nonprofit organization, receiving two donated school buses from Lucini Transportation of Bridgewater to convert into mobile food and clothing pantries and the first of many showers Kelleher said he plans to station in all major New England cities.
Dubbed “Travis’s Shower,” the shower unit will be stationed at The Haven every Monday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., said Tara Hall, one of the board members for The Haven.
“It really gives me some hope that we may be on the right track to helping our homeless situation here,” Hall said. “Nobody wants anyone out on the street.”
On Monday, volunteers handed out new towels, face cloths, toiletry bags, socks, t-shirts, sweatpants and sweat-shorts, along with gently-used sneakers.
“It was awesome to see the smiles on everyone’s faces knowing they had everything they needed,” Hall said. “It was just a blessed day for them.”
Kelleher said he’s already gotten invitations to bring the shower to other area cities and he’s currently fundraising to purchase a second shower unit to station in Bangor. He also plans to acquire a third bus to act as an emergency shelter in the winter and is working on a for-profit soup line.
Kelleher thanked Mayor Bill Carpenter’s office, The Haven, Lucini Transportation and Ocean State Job Lot for their support, as well as his “dedicated” Board of Directors and the volunteers and donors that keep his nonprofit running.
“I’m amazed,” Kelleher said. “I never, ever expected for this to be where it is from me passing out hot soup. This is past my wildest dreams. And there’s so much more to do.”
Staff writer Corlyn Voorhees can be reached at cvoorhees@enterprisenews.com
