John Nelson and Amos House, Providence, RI

"Food was often scarce for John Nelson and his siblings when they were growing up in Providence.

"'We would go in the refrigerator and all that was there in the refrigerator was maybe a loaf of bread, butter, or onions or mayonnaise or something like that,' he said.

"Late last month, Nelson, 65, retired from Amos House, a social-services agency on Pine Street for which he worked 35 years - 30 of them spent as the executive chef of the agency's soup kitchen, serving more than 150,000 meals a year to the hungry in Providence.

"Cooking food for people in need was especially important to him because of his background, he said."

A recent Providence Journal article profiled Mr. Nelson as he entered retirement.

To access the complete Providence Journal report, please visit:

Providence Journal: Providence soup kitchen icon reflects on his decades of service (15 JUL 18)

Background information:

Amos House