Soup For You!

Written for The Villager

   Grab your spoon along with an empty stomach and get ready to fill it at the third annual Souper Summer Event, formally known at the Empty Bowl Lunch.

   For $10 people will receive a commemorative bowl and enjoy three soups from among your choice of over 14 different soups from local restaurants.  The event is hosted by and benefits the St. Susan Center Soup Kitchen. For 26 years, the kitchen has been providing thousands of meals a week to their guests, increasing more with every year.  “We’re open seven days a week 361 days a year … we provide a hot meal filled with protein, fruit, dairy, starch, vegetables and juice,” said Sue Colwell, director of the St. Susan Center.  “We try to provide as healthy and balanced of a meal as we can.”

   The event on Wednesday August 18 will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Floating Stage in Bemus Point, NY by The Italian Fisherman Restaurant.  The event will not only feature a variety of different soups but many different activities for people to enjoy as well.  There will be three different artists performing:  Michael Letteri (keyboardist and singer), Chance Scott (9-year-old keyboardist) and Infinity.  The event will also have a 50/50 raffle, a silent auction and carriage rides!  This is a family event that everyone can enjoy.

   This is one of three fundraisers the Center puts on each year.  Around Christmas there is a cheese and candy basket sale, and then in the spring there is a basket fair, which includes items from local businesses.

   At the Souper Summer Event, each person receives a keepsake bowl, which most come hand painted by community members, whether it is students at a school or local adults helping out.  “Last year, all of the hand painted bowls were sold out in 45 minutes,” Colwell said.  So arriving early may be a good idea.  The St. Susan Center hopes to keep serving their guests while making a difference in their lives.  “This is a community effort,” Colwell said. “We are helping people – impacting their lives … the St. Susan Center is a part of the community.”

   For more information about supporting the St. Susan Center soup kitchen or attending the Souper Summer Event, call 664-2253 ext. 3 or 4, or visit www.stsusancenter.org.

   The Center is open to the public Monday thru Friday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., as well as Saturday and Sunday from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.