Indian River County was overrun with considerably more than a soupçon of soup chefs at the 24th annual Samaritan Center Soup Bowl to benefit the Samaritan Center for Homeless Families. Volunteers from around the community dished up bowl after bowl of liquid lunch, warming stomachs and plenty of hearts as well, knowing that they were helping families stay together while getting back on their feet.
The Samaritan Center provides transitional housing for homeless families with dependent children in Indian River County; nearly one-quarter of the county’s 800 homeless are children. Proceeds from the annual event provide 75 percent of the cost of its programs and services, including housing, meals, transportation, mental health and counseling.
Roughly 80 local restaurants and a contingent of business owners and individuals supplied hundreds of gallons of delicious soup that was served at more than 40 locations around the county. On Soup Bowl Thursday, the saying “everything from soup to nuts” takes on a whole new meaning. There was a soup for every connoisseur’s palate, with offerings that ranged from chowders and chili to broth-based and bisques.
Many treated the event as a progressive soup bar, traveling from one location to the next to try out the various selections, eliciting good-natured arguments over which soup was best and what the chefs’ secret ingredients might be.
“The community has done so much for us we just want to give back,” said Jane Schwiering, broker associate at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty, while serving up her version of a gluten-free chicken gumbo.
Additionally, local pottery artists had begun working in August at workshops held at the Vero Beach Museum of Art to create more than 1,200 bowls, which were snapped up quickly by patrons to add to their Soup Bowl collections. Diners could also purchase raffle tickets to win one of several hand-crafted soup tureens that were works of art in their own right.
“We have about 30 kinds of soup every year,” said Dustin Haynes of Coldwell Banker Paradise, who has chaired the Indian River Shores site for the past five years. “It’s a great location, and a lot of people come out to enjoy the soup and help out.”
Over the cacophony of soup spoons clattering at the bottom of the bowls, Linda Schlitt Gonzalez added that Coldwell Banker Paradise has participated in the Soup Bowl since it began.
“The Samaritan Center is an amazing facility because it doesn’t just house homeless families; it also helps to create a life,” she said. “The families are able to buy a vehicle and get jobs and training that gives lasting results.”
“Nothing makes me prouder of Indian River County than to witness the outpouring of compassion for the homeless during Samaritan Center’s annual Soup Bowl,” said Renee Bireley, Samaritan Center program administrator. “For 24 years the community has been breaking bread together, sharing their time, talent and treasure. The event is truly a labor of love.”