Relieving hunger and loneliness at the Penticton Soupateria
Smiles greeted me in abundance as I joined a room of strangers for the Christmas Volunteer Appreciation Dinner at Penticton Soupateria. By evening’s end, I admired their dedication, kindness, tolerance, time commitment, and resourcefulness.
This volunteer-based, non-profit organization provides lunch, 11:30 am to 12:30 pm, 365 days annually, for anyone in need of a nutritious meal. Penticton Community Soupateria Society relies ‘‘solely on community donations to supply food, fund meal services, and run kitchen and landscaping operations”.
My attendance was due to a chance meeting of Penticton Soupateria’s President and Chairman Roderick Strike at Four Shadows Vineyard & Winery where he was picking up a donation for that dinner. As I learned more from him about the organization, he insisted I could learn so much more by talking to some of the key volunteers. Rod thought Past President Lauraine Bailie and her husband, who have been volunteering since 1996 just after they retired to Penticton, would give me more insight.
Lauraine told me Penticton Soupateria started in 1986 in an old kitchen on the lower level of St. Saviour’s Anglican Church through an ecumenical group. Initially, the idea was to share coffee and cake with isolated seniors in the neighbourhood. The goal expanded to provide a hot meal to those in need. Overcoming obstacles to survive, it became a registered BC Society with charitable tax status in 1995.
When operating in the old kitchen presented concerns about plumbing, space for adequate food preparation and service, and maintaining health standards, a fundraising committee was formed. Thanks to its work, and with generous contributions of the local Rotary Club, South Okanagan Community Foundation, Vancouver Foundation, various churches, and many individual donors, the present Soupateria building came into fruition.
Soup for Lunch Helps Build Healthy Communities
Simple solutions such as serving soup for lunch are a key element in food security, which is fundamental to healthy communities. At Soupateria, the team ensures the soup and other food items are packed with nutrition while offering a cost-effective meal that is accessible and portable.
Prior to the Covid pandemic, people gathered in the dining hall to eat and connect with others. Faced with the health regulations and distancing requirements, they came up with an innovative solution to continue their vital work. Now, people line up at a window to receive a warm greeting from the volunteers along with their ‘Grab and Go’ bag of soup and other goodies to consume at their leisure.
The community connection remains in the banter in the queue and outside in the yard as people greet each other and catch up on life events. What has altered over time is the composition of those accessing the meal. In the beginning, there were more seniors and men. Then transient workers, in the beginning primarily from Quebec, here in prime season to pick fruit and do other farm work learned about the service.
Today the volunteers see more women, particularly single parents, and the working poor. Plus, the unhoused percentage now fluctuates between 10 and 20 per cent of the total served. A nutritious lunch is served without judgment to all who need a meal.
Carina Van de Velde, who shares the one staff position of kitchen manager/public relations/volunteer coordinator with Kim Kopp noted, “No matter the circumstances that brought them to us, we find many return to give back, whether through donations or offering to volunteer. They remember the Soupateria when their situation improves.”
Spare a Toonie? Why Your Donation Matters
Statistics on its website indicate in 2023, the Soupateria served over 32,600 nutritious meals (a 15 per cent increase from 2022) at an average cost of $5.25 per serving. Yearly costs are over $160,000 and rising with inflation. “Every dollar counts and is used wisely!”
Penticton Soupateria focuses on providing a nutritious lunch although occasionally, an Interior Health Registered Nurse attends to facilitate easy access to health care. Anyone seeking shelter is referred to another agency.
Donations are always accepted and, in this season, consider the Christmas Toonie Fundraiser in your giving. A toonie provides a hot meal. By the numbers, just multiple to see your impact from $20 helping 10 people to $200 helping 100 people. Help as many as possible by donating any amount.
Download, print and fill out the Christmas Toonie Fundraiser poster then deliver your donation:
• at the Penticton Soupateria, 150 Orchard Avenue, Penticton, BC
• at St. Saviour’s Church mailbox located next to the Soupateria
• by Canada Post, at 150 Orchard Avenue, Penticton, BC V2A 1X8
Tax receipts are issued for all monetary donations that are accompanied by the donors’ names and addresses.
Other Options for Donations:
• Use e-transfer by sending your donation to donate@soupateria.com – NOTE: CRA requires you to include your name and address in the message field in order to receive a tax receipt.
• Online using CanadaHelps.org – trusted by Canadians since the year 2000. https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/penticton-community-soupateria-society/
• Online using our PayPal’s, safe, and secure donation system – click on the Donate button. https://www.paypal.com/donate?
Strength in Volunteers
Lauraine exemplified the strength of Soupateria’s volunteers, having taken on roles from kitchen duty to board positions. As she introduced me to many key individuals, she shared volunteers come from “all walks of life committed to community service”. Most are seniors given the daytime hours, and each day a different crew works coming from local churches and the community. It adds up to some 200 to 300 volunteers each year!
Some like Lauraine, her husband, and Jack, Joyce and Orlan knew even before they moved to Penticton, this was where they would volunteer.
Find former chefs such as Rod in the mix who are generous in teaching their kitchen acumen to others. Chris Grauer, who passed away in 2024, Naramata Centre head chef for many years, shared such skills for over 30 years at the Soupateria and other charitable groups such as Okanagan Gleaners.
Ordained deacon (St. Saviour’s) Richard Simpson, a volunteer since 2006, has honed his skills as chef taking on kitchen duties, and “whatever else needs to be done”. Randy, another enthusiastic volunteer, agreed, “One of the benefits is learning things — for me how to chop 30 garlic cloves fast with proper cutting techniques such as curling your fingers just right.”
Volunteers do everything “from food pick up, shopping, preparation, serving, volunteer recruitment and coordination, clean up, yard work, building maintenance, fundraising, bookkeeping, promotion, advertising, board membership, and anything else that needs doing.”
Volunteer Margaret Szuchs started a Christmas gift program through the Penticton Seventh-Day Adventist Church that brings a lot of joy, which is now lovingly spearheaded by Don and Carolyn Magill. Gift bags, roughly 35 for women and 65 for men, are packed with practical items such as scarves, gloves, hats, socks, toothpaste and brushes, sanitary napkins for women, and something sweet such as a bag of candy or chocolate bar. Each year, a day (December 15, 2025) is designated to distribute these at mealtime.
There is not space to introduce each dedicated volunteer I met that evening despite my awe at their generosity. As I asked them what attracted them to volunteer here, perhaps Don put it best, “You find yourself by giving.” He added, “It is good for your spirit and gives you more energy than it takes.”
Some scenes from the Christmas Volunteer Appreciation Dinner at Penticton Soupateria
