Take one part inspiration, add two parts Christian charity, fold in a generous helping of community support, then mix well with volunteers aplenty, and you’ve got the recipe for a Powell River Catholic parish’s successful community soup kitchen.
Operating since April 2015, the Church of the Assumption Soup Kitchen serves up nutritious homemade soup, along with bread or a bun and dessert, every Friday afternoon to whoever drops by the parish hall—all free of charge.
Before the pandemic, upwards of 70 people a week, including parish seniors and the needy, sat down for a meal; over the past two years, weekly numbers have dropped to about two dozen low-income people, and food is take-out only. Many of the recipients live in low-income housing near the church.
Despite the current low numbers, Assumption’s pastor, Father Patrick Tepoorten, said he is proud of what the soup-kitchen project stands for and has achieved. “It’s kind of like the crown jewel of our parish,” Father Tepoorten said. “It’s just been so successful. People were right behind it from day one.”
Parishioner Christine Behan founded the soup kitchen. She said in an interview that she was inspired to launch the project after what seemed to her like an amazing set of coincidences.
First, a chapter in a book she was reading with her Catholic book club was entitled “Feed the Hungry.” Then, she attended a Mass whose readings dealt with feeding the hungry. Later, she read parts of Pope Francis’ book, The Name of God is Mercy, describing the importance of feeding the hungry. Finally, she watched an Oprah Winfrey TV show dedicated to feeding the hungry.
“I just thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I am being told to do this. I need to figure it out,’” Behan said. “So I prayed about it and talked to the girls at my book club.” She also volunteered at a soup kitchen operated by the local Seventh Day Adventist Church. “So I got some experience with them to see what they did, and then I kind of just went from here,” she said.
Behan, a 54-year-old mother of three grown boys, persuaded Father Tepoorten to support the project and allow her to use the parish hall and kitchen. “As soon as I announced it in church, we had 40 people sign up right away to help,” she recalled. As well, Behan’s good friend and running partner, Gerrimae Sepkowski, assisted her from the start.
“It was pretty spectacular,” Behan said. “Everything is easy when you’re doing something that is in the Lord’s plan for you—doors just open for you, that’s how I felt.”
Behan had no trouble filling the rosters of distinct crews of volunteers for food preparation, serving, and clean-up. Local supermarkets, supporters, and fishermen donate most of the food. Behan said an important donor is Powell River resident Sandy Nassichuk, who provides “beautiful fresh produce” from his garden.
Cash donations from parishioners covered extraordinary costs before the pandemic struck; since then, Behan and other donors have made sure that all necessary ingredients are at hand.
Father Tepoorten said the soup kitchen project appealed to everyone in the parish, including those who “perhaps had not been involved in church life.”
He credited Behan for the project’s continuing success. “She’s a go-getter,” he said. “She is a person that people flock to. She has a winning way about her. That meant that when she got up to explain her idea—I mean, we were just going on a wing and a prayer—everybody, everybody got behind this. It was great. People were just thrilled that we were going to try to do this.”
Both Father Tepoorten and Behan said the wider Powell River community has great spirit, and members of different churches volunteer for each other. In fact, they’ve coordinated soup-kitchen openings to ensure that one is offering a meal every day. ”So there’s a beautiful sense of connectedness with these church-run organizations,” Father Tepoorten said.
They both look forward to the lifting of pandemic restrictions and the resumption of sit-down meals. “We really want to get back to that—both the volunteers and the people who come, especially the parish’s seniors,” Behan said. “This was a once-a-week thing where they would come and socialize with their friends, and that’s been taken away.”
Behan, who was not raised Catholic but married one, converted to the faith 12 years ago after attempting to answer questions about the faith from her children, who were attending Catholic school. She said she got “kind of curious,” started doing her own research, and ultimately made the decision to become Catholic.
Not only has the soup-kitchen project had the beneficial effect of helping her become better acquainted with fellow parishioners, but it’s also enriched her faith, Behan said.
“My whole premise, as much as I love my faith and my church, is that I don’t want it to be solely on Sunday,” she said. “I want it to be every day of the week, as far as living it. And so this has given me a venue to live my faith, and to be the Lord’s hands and feet.
“And I see it in both the workers and the patrons. We’re just all one. I’m no more blessed than anyone else, although I am considerably blessed.”
Chicken Butternut Squash Soup
Following is the recipe for Christine Behan’s favourite soup, which is often served in the Church of Assumption’s weekly soup kitchen.
(Recipe by Kelly Smilie)
Ingredients
1 butternut squash
1 small onion
2 celery stalks
2 big carrots
1 tsp grated ginger
1 clove garlic
Chicken stock (homemade is best)
6-8 cooked boneless skinless chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
Cilantro (optional)
Directions
Cut up squash into bite sized pieces and toss with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper and roast in oven at 375F for 45 minutes. Set aside.
Sauté onion in a teaspoon of olive oil until translucent. Add carrot, celery, ginger, and garlic and stir for two minutes. Add enough chicken stock to cover vegetables and boil the vegetables until done (about 15-20 minutes). Add chicken and squash and mash lightly with a potato masher just to thicken it a bit.
Add more chicken stock as needed to make sure you have soup and not stew. Season with salt and pepper. Heat thoroughly and serve. Garnish with cilantro if you like.
