The Community Engagement Center at Southern Utah University started off the month with one of their most well-known events, Bread and Soup Nite, on November 1 in the Ballroom.
On the first Monday of each month, students, faculty, and community members can fill up on all-you-can-eat soup and bread. Entrance is only $3 or $1 with a nonperishable food item.
Nick Stein, Service Leader for the Community Engagement Center, helped give out soup along with his volunteers. “Bread and Soup Nite is an event we have hosted for years. It’s partly to help out students who need cheap dinner, all they have to do is donate a can. But then those cans work as a fundraiser for one of the other projects in the Community Engagement Center.”
Monetary and canned donations go to SUU’s HOPE Pantry, which stands for Helping Our People Eat. It is a place students can go for groceries when money is tight.
They provide “essential food and non-food items,” according to their website, and require only a proof of SUU or STECH student ID. Students can visit the HOPE Pantry once a week and stock up on anything they need, no questions asked. The pantry only asks that students using the pantry are mindful of others who also need the resource.
“It’s a really good resource for people on campus,” Stein said. “As a college student, there’s lots of unexpected bills, fees, books, and such, so it’s like a safety net for people. They can rest assured knowing they won’t go hungry as a student at SUU.”
Once students have made their donation, they have the choice of three kinds of soup, with vegetarian options, as well as various rolls, slices of bread, and dessert, and no limit on seconds. Students can also perform at the event, and there’s usually entertainment of some kind throughout the meal.
To see more about future Bread & Soup Nites, visit the Community Engagement Center’s website. And for more information on the HOPE Pantry, visit their website.
Story and photos by McKayla Olsen
mckayla.olsen@gmail.com
