A Lot More than a Bowl of Soup!

Julie Clarke displays some of the soup bowls

Saturday’s bowl-of-soup lunch at the Sydenham town hall drew over 130 hungry participants, and raised more than $2,700 for two local charitable groups. Twenty dollars may sound like a lot to pay for a bowl of soup, but in this case we got to choose and keep our soup bowls. And what a choice! All were hand-made by local artists. Tim De Rose of Wilton Pottery donated 100 bowls, and the rest were provided by Sue Lyon, June Lang, Linda Abbott, Susan MacRae and Ineke Quartel.

The hall was festive and packed: the selection of bowls was almost mind-boggling, as was the variety of soups. Folks were encouraged to come back for several samples of the soups, which were donated by local restaurants, church groups, caterers and individuals. Every imaginable soup recipe seemed to be represented: there was even a big pot of "Stone Soup." Buns, sweets and coffee rounded off the meal. Sheldon Cook proved he was much more than just another chiropractor, as he set up a washing station centre-stage, and washed all 130 bowls once their new owners had eaten their fill.

What has now become an annual pre-Christmas event began three years ago, when Josey Steele and Leslie Reade decided they wanted to give something back to their community. Together they organized donations of pottery and food, decorated the hall, and are on hand each year with many family members to serve soup, clear tables, and generally make sure everyone has a good time. Rural Visions and the Loughborough Christmas and Emergency Fund share the proceeds, turning them into food and necessities for community members in need. Thanks to Josey, Leslie and their hard-working and generous crew of helpers for a creative and successful event.