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Mary Watts
Founder, TLC Soup Kitchen

Mary Watts is the founder of the TLC Soup Kitchen, located in the Del Paso Heights section of Sacramento, California. She is a long-time advocate and community organizer who works tirelessly to feed and assist the homeless and under-served families in her community.


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Can you tell us a little about the Thanksgiving Dinner?

The Annual Thanksgiving Dinner is is sponsored by the Sacramento Kings. They cook all the food for about 1,800 – 2,000 people. They bring it to the community center and we serve anybody and everyone in a dignified manner. The player’s wives come and the staff from Arco Arena are here. The chef brings all the meat and they cook everything else at the community center. A full Thanksgiving meal is served to everybody. There will be entertainment. There will be a local church group singing and we will have a young boy who has a gorgeous voice who will sing. The Grant cheerleaders will be here and the percussion section of the band will play also. Some of the Monarch players will come also. It will be a big event. We expect over 2,000 people this year. Each year it’s something new.

How can the community at large participate or contribute to the TLC Kitchen?

There are several ways they can do it. Number one, monetary. Number two, volunteer their services. We have a warehouse where we will make over 500 boxes of food for the holidays. We have clothing that has to be sorted at the warehouse. We also have chaperones that are needed for shopping sprees.

What is the TLC Soup Kitchen doing for the community now?

This year our program is called “A Hand Up, Not A Handout” where recipients have to take two classes or seminars before they are eligible for a food box. The Mutual Assistance Network (a non-profit agency in Del Paso Heights) is setting it up with the firehouse and the community center. People will take classes and receive information on health, nutrition, budget and safety. Instead of just giving them something free all the time this is something that will benefit and help them. We are doing more classes like this. They get something more than just food.

How did you get involved in this type of work?

It was my mother that inspired me. She saw a child eating out of a dumpster many years ago. Then, the man next door passed away. He was a cook for the Cattle Drive, which is in the mountains. He left his sister with all these huge pots and pans. I already had a large family of eight children, but I didn’t cook that much. Then we got the idea to start a soup kitchen. Everybody was all excited about that. We really didn’t have one in this area. We’ve been going strong now for 15 years.

What motivates you to do this type of work?

The Lord motivates me because if it was up to me I’d stay in bed and sleep all day. The basic thing is to help people in need. Just knowing that someone needs help. It’s unreal in this day and age that people don’t care. If you see someone in need regardless of their ethnic diversity or status, they need help. These are our sisters and brothers. It upsets me. I’ve been chosen by the Lord. I consider myself a servant. I’m not a director, I’m not anything but a servant to help other people.

Do you earn money doing this work?

I have a slogan, “I make a dollar holler.” Everything I do goes back into the organization 100 percent. I receive no salary and my volunteers receive no salary. We have over 75 – 100 volunteers to get things done. We are all committed to helping people in Sacramento, not just in Del Paso Heights. We work closely with other groups in Sacramento to see that no child goes hungry. We also have a referral system with social services and the police department. So many people want to come and help.

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

I go day to day. I would like to keep something going for people, to enrich the program. We are tied into a lot of other community organizations that come in and help us with their services. I don’t see myself stopping what I am doing. I am already retired. I get my family involved. I guess I’ll keep on going until I can’t go anymore like the Energizer bunny.

What’s your personal philosophy?

My philosophy is to help others. I can’t sleep when I know someone is out there in the cold. There are people out there living and sleeping under bridges. It’s too cold. There are not enough shelters around here. If I had the money, I’d open up shelters and soup kitchens.

For more information on how to volunteer or make a donation to the TLC Soup Kitchen, contact:

Mary Watts

3904 High Street

Sacramento, CA 95838

(916) 759-1806

mwtlc@earthlink.net