Soup's On receives $2,500 donation for school-lunch program

Steinbach’s soup kitchen, Soup’s On received a $2,500 donation from CLAC (Christian Labour Association of Canada) as part of the union’s Building Communities program. 

Joy Neufeld from Soup’s On says she is grateful. 

“It's always very heartwarming. It's always very gratifying when anybody within the school system recognizes what we do and more importantly recognizes the benefit of what we do, and they turn around and give us money so we can keep doing what we're doing.” 

Neufeld continues, “I think the EA's, well, like everybody else in the school system, working in the schools, they see when a child is hungry and has not brought our lunch, or is not able to bring a lunch and then we can support them and give them a lunch so they can spend the rest of the day concentrating, and getting along with their peers and just feeling like a kid.” 

Neufeld says receiving the donation is, ”just very amazing and it's wonderful, and it gives us encouragement, “Ok, you do what you do, and we’ll keep doing what we do, and the end result is some very wonderful children.” 

The Soup’s On director says, "this money will go directly into school food program. So, with that (money), we will support the children in school and the children that we also support through the Family Lunch Program. So, that is all going directly back to help feed our children.” 

Janice Neufeld, who is employed by the Hanover School Division says Soup’s On was nominated to receive the donation because she has witnessed the success the non-profit has had in the school where she works. 

The soup kitchen serves two free evening meals per week and works together with Steinbach-area schools to provide a breakfast and lunch program for students.

E.A. Neufeld says, "I have packed lunches we received from Soup’s On for children in the Hanover School Division. I have seen firsthand how they filled the need for struggling families.”

Soup's On services dinner on Tuesday and Friday evenings from 5pm to 6:15pm at the Grace Mennonite Church in Steinbach.