The Soup Kit Project
The Soup Kit Project is a collaboration between the Change the World Kids, The Ottauquechee Health Center, The North Chapel Universalist Church and local chef Ken Woodhead. Together, we aim to provide hearty and nutritious food to community members, specifically senior citizens, more high risk individuals and others who simply really appreciate a quart of homemade soup. With the help of a handful of volunteers and donations from Willing Hands and Veggie Van Go, we have been making fresh soups weekly during the winter months since December 2020. Chef Ken Woodhead brings over 45 years of cooking experience, making all the soups from homemade stocks and often adding his own home grown and preserved garden vegetables to the mix.
In early December of 2020, we sought a commercial kitchen to operate from and happily landed at the Billings Farm, where we began making between 50-70 quarts of soup each week. We began distributing to The Woodstock Area Food Shelf, Mellishwood and Safford Commons. We soon outgrew the Billings Farm kitchen and were met with welcoming arms at the North Chapel Universalist Church, where we have been increasing our numbers, making up to 80 quarts per week.
The project has been met with great enthusiasm. Every week there are two soups to choose from and have included: Squash and Apple, Beef Stew, Chinese Chicken Noodle, Black Bean and Orange, French Onion, Mulligatawny, Rutabaga and Lentil and Cream of Cauliflower to name a few.
Here’s what some of the Change the World Kids have to say about it:
“In normal times, we would host Anti Cabin Fever Dinners every Wednesday from January to April. I have been the chair for these dinners since 2018 and they are truly (in my opinion) one of the best parts of the organization. These dinners bring the community together and offer a certain warmth to cold winter nights. In 2020, after a couple of super successful and fun dinners, we were forced to cancel the remaining ones and our 2021 ACF season due to the global pandemic. ACF dinners are such a big and important aspect to our group, so we were unsure how we could safely replace them. Luckily, the Soup Kit project came together and every Tuesday, we make soup in the UU kitchen (the one we used for ACF dinners)-- it is so nice to be back in the kitchen working together to create something that will benefit many. We distribute the soup every Wednesday and Friday and it is so rewarding; the small conversations you have and the smiles and the thank you’s you receive are just so important and valuable. With everything that is going on, the little things are worth so much more than they used to. The Soup Kit project is such a wonderful way to connect to the community and to connect to people in general.” Adi Wilson, CTWK Senior.
“The Soup Kit project has been such a great experience for me, and I have learned so many valuable skills from it. It has been such a pleasure to work with Chef Ken Woodhead. My knife skills have improved a huge amount ever since I started volunteering to help make delicious soup. It is a great feeling to know that the soup is reaching members of our community who really appreciate it.” Daphne McDermott, CTWK Junior.
“It has been a pleasure each and every time I’ve helped with the SoupKit Project. Ken is a wonderful chef and it’s always a fun time prepping and cooking soups with him. He never shies away from cracking jokes to lighten the mood whenever there’s a dull moment. I look forward to working more with him in the future to help our community.” Louis Mills, 2021 CTWK Alum.
If you or anyone you know would like to receive a quart of soup each week, we will continue delivering through the last Wed in March. Please be in touch and we will follow up with information on the delivery times. If you or anyone you know would like to donate, we welcome your support!
