The Daily Soup Pot Beginnings

Goderich is a small retirement community on Lake Huron. Population approximately 7500, our claim to fame and only real industry is it’s also home to North America’s largest salt mine, Compass Minerals. 2011 put us on the news after an F3 tornado surprised us.

Our thrift store and family services are ran out of the same building. When the Daily Soup Pot began, we also sold furniture as well.

Marmalade. Does anyone remember the Sherriff’s Orange Marmalade jar? It says “Good Morning” on it. When I was a young teenager, I heard an old man say that was what he looked forward to every morning. Not because he was crazy about marmalade but because that was the only time he was recognized, when the jar said, “good morning” to him. I never forgot the loneliness I heard in that man’s voice. Walk a mile in their shoes. Empathy for others. Quiet your mind and spirit, pray. Pray to reveal what we are to know, to feel. Listen for what isn’t being said. We are serving and caring for many needs but there is more. Search for it. We are missing something, someone important. It suddenly came clear. There was an invisible population among us. The ones in need who would not, COULD not ask for help. The ones raised with “you made your bed, you lie in it”, “what goes on behind closed doors, stays behind closed doors”, the ones who were too ashamed of being failures, the ones already called failures – by family, employers, society, the ne’er do wells, the ones who absolutely could not form the words or summon the courage to ask for help, the ones who never felt deserving – of anything good, of help, of compassion. The ones who thought “I do” would last forever and allowed their partner to care for them, till death cheated them of that. They never learned to cook, or their faith was so shaken, they could easily forget to eat, to shop, to care enough for themselves through the often-impermeable walls of grief. The ones who are humiliated and shamed by their inability to find a way out, afraid of condemnation and judgement.

These are the ones we had been missing! These are the people who had never stepped into our well-stocked food bank, the ones who will NEVER ask for help. The ones who do without. These are the souls we needed to reach, to care for. These are the ones we began THE DAILY SOUP POT for.

We bought a buffet soup pot – plug in, hot water in the bottom which heats the pot of soup and can be held at temperature for hours. Under $100 at any place like Home Hardware or a kitchen supply. We bought some Sysco Knorr Soups for when we’re really pressed for time but mostly use the usually bountiful canned soups from our food bank. One favourite is the beans & wieners & pineapple, another is the chili. We have a lady, a member of the CWL who makes beautiful homemade soups and stews for us occasionally as well.

During the business hours of 10am-4pm Monday – Saturday EVERYONE has open access to the soup pot, the bun basket is beside the pot. It is served in an open, SOCIAL atmosphere. People get their bowl of soup & bun, mingle, shop & visit – we say “good morning or good afternoon, we learn their names, we SEE them, chat about the weather, sales, current events and which soups are their favourites. No one can tell which person has money, groceries in their cupboards at home, who is hiding their broken home or hearts, who has, or who has naught. All are wonderfully EQUAL in this social atmosphere.

We use single serve soup bowls and spoons & check the temperature several times a day which satisfies the Public Health Department.

We asked each other, “How will we know if it’s successful since everyone coming through the door is participating?” As Jesus instructed, we went ahead without an answer, we moved on faith.

In time, we noticed a lady coming in more frequently. Before long, we saw that she started bringing in her 3 children. It wasn’t hard to tell something was different. She really started looking unwell, her hair was thinning. She was considerably weaker. We knew without a doubt our project was necessary as we heard over and over the excited exclamations from these 3 children under the age of 10, “Oh, mommy can we have soup??” Not a single time did we ever hear one of these children ask “what kind is it” or “what’s in it”. These children were genuinely hungry. They were visiting nearly every day. Our well-trained people soon started to “discover” overabundances in certain items from our food bank, things we had to get rid of, to make space, a roast that was simply too large for our people to use – just as she happened to be heading out. We’d put the bag in her hand and make little jokes like “it’s your problem now” and laugh. Sometimes the bag would have produce or fruit, sometimes assorted canned foods. These days lasted more than a couple of months. Eventually, I’m happy to relay, her visits became more infrequent, the children stopped coming, she started looking much better. Today, she comes in to shop and have the occasional cup of soup. Never one time did she ask for help. She never would have asked for help. We have no doubt that this project was worth every cent. We found a way to make a difference, to serve the invisible. Her pride was whole, her children will always have a memory of soup and buns, sometimes cookies and other extras, even a little toy or book – just because we had too many to fit on the shelf.

Submitted by Mary Barry, Family Services
Society of Saint Vincent de Paul
Goderich