There are hungry kids in Yorkton, and since 1998 the Soup Haven has long made it its goal to make sure that they can be properly fed in school.
Marilyn Dyck, Program Director and LeeAnne Leister, Assistant Director have taken over after the retirement of Kathy Connors. Dyck says that their goal is to bring a larger presence for the organization in the community.
There are two hundred lunches provided a day by the Soup Haven, divided between 130 bag lunches, as well as a hot lunch program in two schools which the Soup Haven helps provide. Every school in the city is served by the Soup Haven, in both the Good Spirit and Christ the Teacher School Divisions.
“We go through the school system, so we don’t pick and choose who gets a lunch. The teachers and principals do, they see who is in need of a lunch... We don’t want parents thinking it is a free lunch, it is a need, not a want.”
With 200 lunches a day, it’s clear there is a major need for the Soup Haven in the city.
“There are a lot of grandparents looking after children, single parents looking after children, and groceries are getting expensive, we all see that... There is a need out there.”
The fall is a busy time, as they prepare for the Christmas season and their Christmas hamper program. Dyck says that there will be an FCC food drive for that program, but that there is always a need for food for their regular programs.
“Right now, our shelves are bare.”
Every ounce of food that the Soup Haven receives, they use, Dyck says, though it must be nut-free because area schools have gone nut free as part of a response to nut allergies increasing among students. One thing they need most of all is fruit cups. Dyck explains that they work as a kind of emergency supply, while the Soup Haven prefers to put fresh fruit in every lunch, if for some reason they run out or have an increased number of lunches go out, the fruit cups work as a way to ensure kids still get fruit no matter what.
“The less we have to buy, the better it is.”
There has been one major change for the Soup Haven, and that’s the location of the monthly meals. Those will now be hosted at the Dream Centre at 244 Myrtle Ave, a decision made in order to get a more central location and better meet the needs of the people they serve, Dyck explains. This will not change the day to day operations of the Soup Haven, which will continue to be based out of the Alliance Church on Allanbrooke.
“A lot of our clients are in that area, so we approached Dream Centre and they were very on excited to come on board and help us. They provide the facility, we continue to have volunteers – this month is St. Paul’s Lutheran church that will prepare the meal – and everybody is excited about it. It’s a bigger area and core downtown, which is really wonderful.”
The group is always looking for partnerships to help with programming. Dyck notes that they work with the Abilities Council when it comes to packing lunches, as well as FCC’s food drive and Co-op which supplies bread weekly, which they emphasize they are very grateful for.
If people want to get involved, whether volunteering, helping with the monthly meals, or donating, Dyck suggests coming down to see what they do and getting involved. People can contact them online, via their facebook page or they website www.thesouphaven.ca.
