Soup scrap to help feed kids a recipe that cannot be beat

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This article was published 13/03/2019 (2712 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s nothing I like better than a free lunch — unless it’s a free lunch that lets me help out a worthy cause at the same time.

That’s exactly what I’ll be doing today from 11 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. in the lobby of Manitoba Hydro Place, where I’ll be one of the “expert judges” at the Child Nutrition Council of Manitoba’s seventh annual Stone Soup fundraiser.

This delicious event allows some of the city’s top chefs to go soup-on-soup in a stirring culinary battle that will help the council raise desperately needed cash to support nutrition programs in 259 schools throughout Manitoba.

The soup scrap will see chefs from seven restaurants, Red River College’s culinary program, John G. Stewart School, Aurora Farm and 17 Wing dishing up exotic concoctions in hopes of winning the coveted silver ladle and getting their names engraved on the culinary version of the Stanley Cup — a big commemorative soup pot.

Along with me, a soup-loving, crusading journalist, the judging panel will include former NDP MP and MLA Judy Wasylycia-Leis, who bills herself as “a recovering politician who finds solace in soup,” and Winnipeg Goldeyes star outfielder Josh Romanski, who has slurped down a few bowls when he’s not walloping home runs.

The judging panel will pick its favourite soupmaker, but you, members of the soup-loving public, will get to vote on the People’s Choice Award.

For a $10 minimum donation, guests receive three soup-tasting tickets, bread, fruit and bottles of water. A donation of $20 or more will also get you a tax receipt.

For the record, we are not talking about boring, albeit comforting, bowls of your standard chicken noodle soup. No, we are talking about scintillating soups that push the culinary envelope, soups that grab for the brass ring of gastronomic excellence, soups that are so (bad word) delicious that it should be illegal to put crackers in them.

For example, among the soups highlighted at last year’s competition were Old Cheese and Potato Chowder with Candied Bacon, and Thai Coconut Curry with Maple Crostini and Shrimp.

“It’s not just plain soup; it’s exotic, gourmet soups full of really interesting ingredients,” organizer Viola Prowse, past-executive director of the nutrition council and current board member, told me. “It’s a great deal for a great cause. It’s a soup-er event!”

Prowse, who explained I was invited to be a judge because “I think you’re an expert on food experiences,” said they’re hoping to raise more than $20,000 from today’s soup throwdown.

“When we started the council in 2001, we had something like $15,000 for the year and a handful of programs,” she said. “Now, we have 270 programs that we support throughout Manitoba. It includes over 29,000 children and youths that are attending nutrition programs in schools.”

She said too many kids in Manitoba are going to school hungry, and they can’t focus on their education if they’re thinking about their empty stomachs.

“We just want to make sure that kids have the food they need to have a really good day at school and can concentrate on whatever tasks they are being asked to do,” she said. “Without that basic need being met, they can’t concentrate, they can’t spend time thinking about their education because they’re thinking about how hungry they are, how badly they feel.”

The Child Nutrition Council of Manitoba is a charity that provides funding for breakfast, lunch and snack programs across the province. Last year alone, it funded an astonishing 4.5 million meals and snacks.

Prowse said too many teachers and principals are digging into their own pockets to help feed kids who would otherwise go without. Along with food programs, the council has three dietitians who help schools provide healthy meals on a limited budget.

“It’s a real challenge to put together a healthy breakfast and lunch menu on the kind of budgets they have,” she said.

“The program dietitians help them achieve the best combination of foods for the best price.”

They’re also trying to teach kids the importance of including healthy foods in their diet. “We’ve had children who have gone home and said ‘I tried this green stuff at school and I really liked it’ — it was broccoli,” Prowse said.

“We’ve had kids who have never tried an orange. We’ve had kids who have never tried asparagus. We do it because every child should have access to healthy food. That’s just a basic principle. All children should be given an equal chance to succeed at school and we can contribute to that by making sure the kids aren’t hungry.”

It’s a recipe for success, so what I want you guys to do is simply follow the loud slurping sounds all the way to the lobby of Manitoba Hydro Place, where, for a small donation, you can join me in a bowl of delicious soup. Trust me, there will be plenty of room.

Every donation makes a difference. “You can give any amount you want,” Prowse said.

“For $20, you get a tax receipt. $250 is what it costs us to feed one child breakfast for a year. $50 provides a child lunch for a month.”

Think of it this way: not only will you be filling your tummy with something hot and delicious; you’ll be helping in the fight against childhood hunger, one spoonful at a time.

doug.speirs@freepress.mb.ca