A soup kitchen that is scheduled to open on Valentine’s Day will be serving bowls of soup with a side of love to the needy in Isla Vista.

Community Kitchen, a nonprofit organization designed to provide hot meals for the homeless and working poor, will begin serving lunch to hungry I.V. residents Feb. 14. Located at St. Mark’s Church, the kitchen will be open from 12:15-12:45 p.m. Monday through Friday and will be open to anyone who is hungry, said Eric Talkin, the head of Community Kitchen of Santa Barbara.

“There isn’t any requirement to get in,” Talkin said. “We’re really trying to help the needy, so if you’re a student that just spent your allowance, we’ll probably give you a hard time, but the kitchen is open to everyone.”

Talkin said I.V. is in desperate need of a soup kitchen, not just to provide meals to the homeless but also to those struggling to make ends meet. Talkin said he expects approximately 30 people to show up when the kitchen opens on Monday, but, because of the large demand in the area, he expects the number of visitors to increase daily.

Although several members of I.V.’s homeless population said they had not been aware that a soup kitchen would be opening soon, many said they were pleased by the prospect.

“Anything free around here, I’m going,” said Mahdi Mubashshir, a struggling clothing designer and member of the I.V. homeless community.

The I.V. community kitchen is modeled after the one in Santa Barbara, which is located at the Cacique Street homeless shelter, Talkin said. He said the I.V. kitchen will be run by volunteers, much like the Santa Barbara kitchen, which is staffed by approximately 350 volunteers. Talkin said the money needed to buy food for both kitchens comes largely from donations.

Janice Nicol, chair of the UCSB Community Affairs Board (CAB), encouraged students to volunteer their time at the kitchen.

“We’d love for people to come in and talk to us and get involved with the project,” Nicol said.

Talkin also said Community Kitchen is looking for students to meet the homeless and get to know them one-on-one, both in Santa Barbara and in I.V.

Students interested in serving lunches at one of the kitchens can find out more at the CAB office on the second floor of the MultiCultural Center between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.