Rexburg Soup Kitchen received massive grant to fund thousands of meals

REXBURG — The Rexburg Soup Kitchen received a major grant from a national company with ties to America’s Family Community.

Rexburg Soup Kitchen co-owner David Merrill said the $25,000 from Grifols will be used to create thousands of meals for Upper Valley residents.

Grifols is a biopharmaceutical company that specializes in plasma-based medications. They operate plasma donation centers in Rexburg.

Rosemary Garza, a Grifols representative, came to Rexburg from Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to present the award to the local food charity.

“I feel like this donation was not as much for the soup kitchen, but as a big thank you to our Rexburg community,” Merrill told EastIdahoNews.com.

Also, in attendance at the soup kitchen building at 480 West 2nd North were Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo’s field representative, Kathryn A. Hitch, Rexburg Mayor Jerry Merrill, Rexburg Chamber of Commerce CEO Diane Bruce, and local and regional Grifols employees to celebrate the award.

“I feel as a new non-profit of 18 months that is sort of our validation,” Merrill said. “We are a part of our community and an integral part of our human services.”

The Rexburg Soup Kitchen is a Christian non-profit organization that opened in April 2025. Their mission is to “feed the poor with good things,” according to a scripture found in the Biblical Book of Luke.

The Rexburg Soup Kitchen is open every Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. and serves one hot meal. The organization also allows patrons to take more food home with them to last them until next week.

Thanks to volunteers from the community and Brigham Young University-Idaho, patrons can receive the food they need and are encouraged to stay and speak with volunteers who get to know them personally, regardless of income or nationality.

“We are a community-sponsored non-profit. We don’t take state or federal money,” Merrill said. “Because of that, we don’t have to ask questions of our patrons about their income or nationality or where they live.”

During the ceremony, several speakers, such as Mayor Merrill and Garza, spoke on the importance of community: how the plasma donations help keep the economy going for the city, all the lives that are saved through plasma donors, and how the soup kitchen contributes to a healthier, well-nourished community that takes care of each other in a natural cycle.

“It is part of the cycle of life we have here at Rexburg,” Mayor Merrill said in his speech.

The soup kitchen plans to use the money to further its mission of providing food and assistance to those in need across several neighboring communities near Rexburg.

According to Merrill, the grant “will provide easily 20,000 meals over the next year.”

“We are hopeful that with these monies, they will be able to provide more services to the local people here who need them,” Garza told EastIdahoNews.com.

Merrill opened the Rexburg Soup Kitchen with his wife, Margo, after being unable to move a food non-profit from Idaho Falls to Rexburg. The two have since served thousands of meals to hungry families and individuals in need. According to David Merrill, he estimates the organization serves well over a hundred different families a month.

“We have a Christian mandate to take care of and look after the poor,” Merrill said. “I think that’s evident in how we see volunteers and donors and sponsors throughout our whole community.”

Anyone interested in learning more about the Rexburg Soup Kitchen, or who knows someone in need of these services, can find more information on its website. Volunteers and donation opportunities can be found by searching “Rexburg Soup Kitchen” in the search bar on justserve.org.