The 2020 edition of the Discovery House "Soup is Good Food Lent Lunch" fundraiser kicked off Friday afternoon at St. John Vianney Parish in downtown Penticton.
And if you missed it, don't worry. They're doing precisely the same thing for the next five consecutive Fridays.
For most of the past decade, the Penticton-based men's recovery program has been serving up soup-centric Lent lunches at the downtown church. And it's been a win-win for everyone involved.
The public get a hearty lunch at a reasonable price. Discovery House raises funds that go directly into its programming and operations. Discovery House residents get to engage in culinary arts, and then get to be hands-on at the event.
The parish, meanwhile, gets the added recognition it deserves. According to Jerome Abraham, executive director of Discovery House's overseeing organization Penticton Recovery Resource Society, "We started this as a thank-you to the church."
"The house next door was the original Discovery House, and it's now our second-stage semi-independent home. They've let us use the property for one dollar a year for the past 13 years and they're instrumental in helping us start Discovery House."
And this year, there's something else to be thankful for. Replacement crock pots.
"Two days ago we had an incident down at our kitchen where everything was contaminated," explained Discovery House operations manager Blaine Russell Friday morning. "We posted an appeal on Facebook, and within an hour and a half we had 14 crock pots from this great community we have here."
All that crockery was on full display Friday, a different recipe in each. And one of the key guys on the serving line was Discovery House resident James Dunford, who also had a big hand in concocting Friday's thoroughly yummy potato leek soup.
"I'm five days away from a month's sobriety, which is great because that's the longest I've gone," said a clearly upbeat Dunford Friday. "The staff is completely amazing, and we have a tight group of guys down there right now. I'm actually enjoying fixing my life."
"I always thought I was judged, but I've had nothing but love at Discovery House. And I'm really excited for this. I told Blaine that as soon as we get this going, it's game time, man!"
A familiar face in the crowd for the 2020 kickoff was that of Penticton's Bill Newhouse, who knocked back a couple of bowls and said he's a regular supporter of Discovery House functions.
"It's a great organization and it needs all the support it can get," he said. "I've been coming here for years and I'm here to support them as far as I possibly can."
The Soup is Good Food fundraiser continues next Friday, starting at 11:45 a.m., then runs every Friday after that to April 3.
For six bucks, guests get a big bowl of soup, McDonald's coffee or tea, and a tasty roll from COBS Bread. Bowl refills are a mere $2.
You'll find St. John Vianney Parish at 361 Wade Ave West.
