THE UPBEAT
The Soup Sisters come to the Ottawa Farmers Market to help the Youth Services Bureau
Lovers of delicious soup and heartfelt charity are invited to come to the Ottawa Farmers Market at Brewer Park on Sunday, Sept. 29, to help celebrate the coming launch of a second Soup Sisters Chapter in Ottawa and the 18th in Canada for this dynamic non-profit organization.
Soup tastings from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. (while supplies last) showcasing several delicious recipes from the Soup Sisters’ repertoire, will be the highlight of this special event. Representatives from the newest Ottawa Soup Sisters chapter as well as its designated charity, the Youth Services Bureau (YSB), will be on hand. Soup will be prepared and served by the Soup Sisters’ generous culinary partner, Grounded Kitchen and Coffeehouse.
In addition to sampling delicious soup created using produce from vendors at the Ottawa Farmers Market, visitors to the Tasting Tent will be able to learn more about Soup Sisters and Broth Brothers, a nationwide organization that brings supporters together to create delicious soups which in turn provide comfort and wholesome nourishment to people in crisis, particularly those affected by family violence and domestic abuse.
The young men’s and young women’s shelters of the Youth Services Bureau will be the recipients of the monthly soup-making sessions which will take place at Grounded Kitchen. Representatives from YSB will be at the Ottawa Farmers Market to answer questions about the important and effective work they do every day supporting young men and women in crisis and helping them get back on their feet.
There will also be an opportunity at the Tasting Tent to make donations to help Soup Sisters with the purchase of freezers for the shelters, soup containers and labels to will assist our sustainability on behalf of Youth Services Bureau.
The official launch of the new Soup Sisters Ottawa chapter will occur on Oct. 28 and we’ll soon be taking online bookings for our monthly soupmaking sessions, open to individuals and groups (private and corporate).
The Grounded chef will guide the soup-making teams as they prepare anywhere from 150 to 300 servings of soup which will then be packaged and delivered to freezers at the Youth Services Bureau (YSB) shelters for young men and women.
What makes Soup Sisters and Broth Brothers truly unique is the fact that people from all walks of life come together to prepare and cook soup. In this way, the soup produced at each event becomes a lifeaffirming gift not just for those who receive it, but also for those who create it. We believe this is what attracts thousands of volunteers and supporters to our soup-making events every year.
The soup-making evenings will begin with an opportunity to learn about the youth shelter from a representative from YSB, explaining the services they provide for youth in crisis. Wine and hors d’oeuvres, served by Grounded Kitchen, allow for conversation to flow during the making of the soups. The evening will be filled with positive energy stemming from the act of working together to create nurturing soups for those in need. A communal meal of soup, bread, salad and wine for the soup making participants will complete the evening.
We have selected YSB as our charitable partner because of their excellent track record of supporting young men and women in crisis and helping them get back on their feet.
YSB’s success comes from working together with youth to help them see options they may not have considered, to believe in the power of choice. In doing so, they empower youth to accept responsibility for their decisions, trust in their full potential, and take steps toward fulfilling it. YSB is a non-profit agency that offers youth help to meet many of their immediate needs, including emergency shelters, transitional and long-term housing.
Each month, YSB staff help 3,000 youth and families in the areas of youth engagement, housing and homelessness, mental health, youth justice and employment.