Frisbees for Food

YMM: Do a lot of people know what the Soup Kitchen is?
Joseph: I think because we have been around for so long there is a reputation. People know about us. They know that we serve food but they do not know about the excitement we have here. With excitement I mean a good culture and a good atmosphere. We are a place where everybody is warmly welcomed. 

YMM: You have a lot of volunteers cooking. Who are these people?
Joseph: We often get teams from different companies or people from groups around the city. Many times the reaction is: “Wow, I didn’t know that such a place exists here,” or “That was really such a good experience do not want to miss. I will come back.” We hear that quite often. We also have families coming with their children and expose them to this demography and this is a great learning experience. I welcome everybody to come to the Soup Kitchen to enjoy community and share a meal with others.

YMM: Where do you get all the food from and how is it financed?
Joseph: We purchase it. We spend probably around a thousand dollars per week. We get a lot of donations from Safeway. That helps a lot. We get local money donations. I rely mainly on individual donations and fundraisers in order to meet our budget of $150,000 per year. Legacy Dodge is our biggest support and they give a third of my budget. Another third comes from corporate sponsors and for the rest I have to rely on fundraisers. And of course every donation is very welcome.

YMM: Why should I donate?
Joseph: You should donate because I believe the Soup Kitchen is a very important service. To be able to provide a warm meal to anybody in need is a very good and rewarding thing. We provide food for homeless people, people who are new to the city and people who are in need. I do not question why they come. I welcome everybody equally and serve him or her best to our ability. One of my favourite aspects of the Soup Kitchen is that it brings many different groups from the community together. You get all kind of different people together. IT is a hub and form e it is very exciting to see many different people coming together and interacting with each other. It is a great cause to donate for. 

YMM: You have a fundraiser coming up. What is that about?
Joseph: It is called Frisbees for Food. We are in partnership with the Oil Barons. The idea is that people come to an Oil Barons game. Fans can buy as many Frisbees as they would like. Through the second intermission we set out a target on the center of the ice. On a signal everybody throws out their Frisbees into the middle of the ice. It is such an amazing sight! You see all these Frisbees flying through the arena. The goal is to be as close as possible to the center. The three closest Frisbees to the center receive prices. Last year we had WestJet vouchers as the first prize and of course we are going to have some really nice second and third prizes but that is going to be as a surprise at this point. That is one part of the event. The other part of the event is pledges. 

Frisbees for Food
Oil Barons vs. Camrose Kodiaks 
Friday Jan.15th at 8pm
Casman Centre
1 Frisbee is $20
3 Frisbees for $40
With a purchase of a Frisbee, get a free Frisbee if you like the Soup Kitchen on Facebook: www.facebook.com/soupkit4thesoul/?fref=ts