Kristen Sween
Staff Writer
Many of us know about the Soup and Bread lunches in Kitt, but not many consider the various charities that actually receive donations from our swipes. I’m here to set the record straight. Cody Staebler ’13 is the head coordinator, and Hannah Redding ’15 is the co-coordinator of the group. The two work with campus dining and Interfaith Campus Ministries to make Soup and Bread happen.
Soup and Bread is a charitable alternative to Lowry lunches. It’s an event held during lunch every Friday from 11 a.m. — 1 p.m. in Kittredge Dining Hall. A portion of the money from each swipe goes toward a local, national or international charity. The money raised by the end of the year is donated to one charity. Past local charities have included the Trinity United Church of Christ breakfast kitchen and People to People, a non-profit organization in Wayne County, which provides food, clothing, financial assistance and household items to those in need.
The Trinity UCC breakfast kitchen is a program that provides free breakfast to those in need within the community. Soup and Bread has also donated to the Akron Food Bank.
The amount of money that Soup and Bread raises each year depends on the amount of students, faculty and staff that show up to support it. In the past, Soup and Bread has raised between $6,000 and $10,000 per year. While these are significant amounts of money, there is the potential for even more to be raised if attendance continues to increase.
Staebler and Redding have been working with Rev. Linda Morgan-Clement from Campus Ministries, and Chuck Wagers from dining services to make one big change to Soup and Bread, in the hopes of drawing bigger crowds of students and staff. Instead of offering just bread with soup, the group has decided to offer both salad and fruit as well. The trial run will be next Friday, March 8.
The group knows that there are complaints about Soup and Bread, with one prevalent concern being that there isn’t enough food being served.
In response, Redding wants to remind students of the main purpose of Soup and Bread: “I have heard many people say that soup and bread ‘doesn’t fill them up,’ but I think it’s important for people to realize there are some people that don’t have enough to eat at all. That’s what Soup and Bread is about; we are eating simply so others can simply eat.”
If you have any questions, or are interested in getting involved, please contact Hannah Redding at hredding15@wooster.edu, Cody Staebler at cstaebler13@wooster.edu, or Rev. Linda Morgan-Clement at lclement@wooster.edu.