Soup was on the table, and the community’s increasingly obvious problem of homelessness was on the menu as 700 people gathered for the Soup’s On! event at the Hilton Vancouver Washington.
The Sunday evening fundraiser benefits Share, the community nonprofit dedicated to housing, feeding and assisting homeless men, women and children in Clark County.
In addition to honoring volunteers, Sunday’s event featured a soup cook-off between local celebrity chefs. Tied for the winning entry were a chicken enchilada “Flying Monkey” soup by Troy Lucio of the Hilton Vancouver Washington and a Cajun cream of turkey soup prepared by Mychal Culver of the Mill Creek Pub in Battle Ground.
Volunteers honored
The organization honored Susie Hursch as the Emily Marshall Volunteer of the Year. Hursch has volunteered at Share for nearly 20 years.
Others honored as volunteers of the year were Jim Baldwin, Ken Leffel and members of the Charter Oak Community Church. Roy Johnson, executive director of the Vancouver Housing Authority, received the Community Resource Award.
Other chefs who participated in the soup competition were Matt Grimsley of Beaches; Carl Henderson III, the Grant House; Josh Simpson and Alex Collins, Herb N’ Roots; Jodell Hinojosa, Jo Foody’s; Brandon Carman, Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center; Nick Humbert, New Seasons Market; Michael Miyahara, Papa Murphy’s; and Lou Brancaccio, editor of The Columbian and the only amateur chef in this year’s event.
Fundraising totals from the evening weren’t immediately available, but proceeds will go toward fulfilling Share’s mission. Homelessness has been an increasingly visible problem locally this year, with more than 125 people living on the streets surrounding Share’s west Vancouver shelter at last count.
In addition to providing shelter and meals to adults, Share also provides 2,000 food-filled backpacks per week to local schoolchildren who would be at risk of going hungry on weekends and during school holidays.
For more information on Share’s programs, visit www.sharevancouver.org.
