Soup for the soul was the feature item on the menu at Brodo Kitchen Monday, Feb. 16.
The 21 people who joined restaurant owner and executive chef Paul Cecconi to cook the 250 servings were participating in the inaugural Soup Sisters Penticton event.
Those who get to enjoy efforts of that labour of love are the mothers and children who come under the wing of the South Okanagan Women in Need Society (SOWINS).
Soup for Sisters and its male counterpart, Broth for Brothers, are part of an international non-profit organization started by Calgarian Sharon Hapton, who was in Penticton this week for the launch.
“I had an idea one day. I was at a time in my life when my second child had just left home for university. I like to call that my giant nurture void,” said Hapton, whose organization now operates in 19 other Canadian cities and Los Angeles, Cal. “I had this idea of making soup for others because I’d been a soup maker all my life and really truly understood the value and the impact it had on people when you delivered it to them at time of need.”
People who want to participate go to the restaurant one evening, share a glass of wine and learn to make the soup while spending time with other like-minded individuals. There is a $55 fee for those taking part which goes to cover the break-even cost of the necessary ingredients. The soup making will take place on a monthly basis at Brodo’s.
Hapton’s decision to direct the support to women in need was an easy choice after she attended a fundraiser for the Calgary Women’s Emergency Centre.
“I was so profoundly impacted to realize women flee without anything so our mandate is to reach as many women and children in crisis as we can,” said Hapton.
Monday’s soup was delivered to SOWINS the next morning and it didn’t take long before the program’s value became very much apparent.
“We had a lady come in this morning (Tuesday) who hadn’t eaten for several days, so the fact we were not only able to provide her with counselling but also to give her nutritious food was huge. She was just overwhelmed,” said SOWINS employee Bethany Handfield later that day. “It’s just so wonderful. You’ve got to understand a lot of these gals are coming from a place where they’re feeling abandoned by our society, feeling like nobody cares for them, whatever the extreme of the horrible abusive situation is and now they’ve got somebody who is reaching out and showing they’re caring through food as well.”
Those who prepared the soup were also given an opportunity to write a personalized message on the label for recipients which Handfield felt had a significant impact.
“The sad thing is the increase of the women we get coming to us that are in tears and are just completely beyond hungry they haven’t eaten for days and they’re living on the street or in their cars,” she said. “So this is nourishing them on so many different levels.”
Hapton agreed: “It’s truly warmth for the soul.”
To find out more about Soup Sisters go to penticton@soupsisters.org.