The $30,000 soup challenge

“Thank you so much again for last night’s collection/donation of $315!  We are so grateful to receive it.  With $315, we can … feed 283 people a hot meal at our Community Kitchen (more than 2 weeks’ volume!); provide 155 quarts of fresh milk to neighbors who come to us for groceries; provide bags filled with groceries to 79 people; or order 7,875 pounds of food from the Greater Chicago Food Depository.  Your support will make a real difference in the lives of many people.”

That’s from Lori Gee, executive director of Ravenswood Community Services — the beneficiaries of last week’s Soup & Bread donations (and the subject of chapter 3 of the Soup & Bread Cookbook). I just wanted to share her brief data points to remind all you soup fans that your money is actually going somewhere — and that your goofy soup dinner can be someone else’s lifeline. Even on a 78-degree day like last Wednesday, when we had a profoundly unseasonal menu that featured four (four!) cheese soups.

Turnout was light — really, who could blame you — but we still had a fun, and surprisingly generous crowd. In addition to the power bloc of cheese we had a vegan carrot-ginger from Susannah Strang, spicy pork posole from Chris Turner at the Butcher and Larder, and a return visit from “Hot Doug” Sohn (above, with Sheila), toting a vat of his famous 40-sausage chili.

Now, it’s still in the 70s – which is scary – and we’re in the home stretch, with just four more weeks of Soup & Bread to go. So far this year we’ve raised $4,257 for Chicago-area food pantries and hunger relief programs — and an additional $1,517 at events out of town. This puts our grand total over four years well over $25,000.

That may not seem a lot, compared to big-league fundraising, but as Lori’s email can testify, it goes a long way.

I think we’re well in position to hit $30,000 in the next four weeks – even with the early-onset summer. So let’s do it!

Here’s what you can look forward to:

On March 21 we have a bunch of troublemakers in the house, including Resistance Coffee‘s David Meyers, Anne Kostrowski, from Crumb Bread, Mike Bancroft, from Co-op Hot Sauce,  the intoxicatingly profane Jon Langford, Fitzgerald‘s bartender/Bloodshot intern Camille Severino, Megan O’Connor and Lance Avery, representing No Chefs Allowed, and Milk & Honey‘s Carol Watson — all with DJ Sarah G.! All proceeds benefit the Common Pantry.

On March 28 we team up with the Immediate Sound Series to present our first-ever Jazz Soup. On the crocks are Dave Rempis, Mike Reed, Jason Adasiewicz, Kent Kessler, Nate Lepine, Trea Fotidzis, Mariapaz Carmargo, and ISS curator Mitch Cocanig, with our own Ryan Hembrey in the DJ booth. Stick around afterward for two sets from Jim Baker, Josh Abrams, and Avreeayl Ra.

On April 4 it’s birthday week, celebrating the earth anniversaries of super S&B volunteer Hope Williams and first-time soup cook Anne Elizabeth Moore. We’ll also have soups from Longman & Eagle, Mare Swallow, Jim Becker, pastry chef Meghan McCann, baker Alison Stout, butcher Andrea Deibler, and Louis Steihn, with DJ Mary Nisi. Proceeds benefit the St. Vincent’s Food Pantry and Sandwich Program.

We wrap April 11 with our annual SOUP & PIE NIGHT. Cooks for that include Reader food critic Mike Sula, Sunday Dinner Chicago‘s Christine Cikowski, our favorite farmer Vera Videnovich, and more TBD. Plus, again, you know … PIE, not to mention closing night DJs Jim Becker and Matt Lux. All donations benefit the Warming Center in Logan Square.

And then … that’s it! Phew. We’re working on some ideas for the summer, never fear, but for now we hope to see you sometime in the next four weeks. Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted: Monday Mar 19,2012 09:41 AM In Event Schedule, Soup Wrapup