We are fortunate to have been sharing food industry insights for 18 years. Each year we would take a break for the holidays and let you know we had done something to give back. Those of you who have been with us for a long time might remember I would take our daughters to the store to collect food to donate to the food bank. It became a tradition in our house.
One of our daughters approached me this year about our SKUFood holiday donation. She volunteers at a community soup kitchen in the town where she is going to school. She suggested that we support this initiative this year. Given that this tradition started many years ago with them helping to fill the shopping cart for the food bank, we are pleased to make a donation this year to the Antigonish Community Soup Gathering.
The Antigonish Community Soup Gathering is a community-based grassroots organization that works in cooperation with the Antigonish community Fridge and Antigonish Poverty Reduction Coalition. The community fridge opened in 2022, when community member Wyanne Sandler applied for a grant from the Nova Scotia Department of Culture, Tourism and Heritage, and Decoste Interiors donated the fridge. The soup gatherings began in early 2023, founded by Catherine MacPherson, Wyanne Sandler and Damian Welsh, with grants from the Community Health Board, and funding from the Town of Antigonish and the Municipality of the County of Antigonish. The first soup gathering took place in October 2023, on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
Food and housing security becomes increasingly more prominent as cost of living continues to rise. The Antigonish Community Soup Gathering runs every other Sunday. It is organized by Catherine MacPherson and staffed with local volunteers who cook, clean and serve. The soup is served for dine-in and prepared for takeout. The soup gatherings also help supply food to the community fridge as unserved soup is then frozen and placed in the fridge.
The fridge and soup gatherings are a unique initiative to ensure food security, there is no policing of who is allowed to use the fridge or eat at the soup gatherings. The fridge and soup gatherings work to limit stigma around food security as the fridge is accessible to anyone 24/7, and everyone is welcome to enjoy soup at the gatherings.
The soup gatherings serve on average 30-50 people each Sunday in the Antigonish Farmers Market building. They serve community members from many backgrounds including students from St. Francis Xavier University. The community fridge and soup gatherings operate on the motto “Take what you need and give what you can” and relies primarily on community donations, volunteer work and fundraising.
If you would like to make a donation to the Antigonish Soup Gathering you can use this link:
It is a privilege to work in this industry and have the opportunity to meet people from coast to coast. We hope you have a Merry Christmas or a joyous holiday season in the manner to which you choose to celebrate and a Happy New Year. We look forward to sharing more insights in January.
Peter & Susan