VERO BEACH — Catholic Charities’ Samaritan Center will hold its 34th annual Soup Bowl on Nov. 5, selling handmade pottery and soup to raise money for homeless families in Indian River County.
The event runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Vero Beach Heritage Center, 2140 14th Ave. Soup and bowls will also be sold that day at more than 20 businesses, places of worship and community groups across the county. A full list of sites is posted on the Samaritan Center Soup Bowl Facebook page.
Soup is $5 a bowl or $15 a quart. One-of-a-kind pottery bowls, made and donated by Indian River Clay potters, are an additional $20. Organizers expect more than 1,000 bowls this year. Sponsorships are also available.
“With the simple act of buying a bowl of soup or pottery, anyone can join us in helping families go from homelessness to living independently,” said Renee Bireley, the center’s development manager. “You’ll help some of the neediest in our community, and in return, receive artfully crafted bowls that serve as gifts, keepsakes and powerful reminders of your kindness.”
In a statement to Sebastian Daily, Bireley said the center is seeing more working families in crisis. Job loss, a medical diagnosis, mental health problems or domestic abuse can push a household into homelessness quickly, she said, especially with the shortage of affordable housing.
“For parents, the experience is frightening. For children, it can be life-altering,” Bireley said.
Money from the Soup Bowl pays for more than a bed. The center is a transitional residence for homeless families with children and is open to families of all faiths. Staff provide case management, counseling, trauma support, life skills classes and educational programs aimed at getting families back on their own. Since it opened, the center has worked with 750 families and more than 1,250 children, according to Catholic Charities.
Samaritan Center is a program of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Palm Beach and a funded partner of the United Way and the Indian River County Children’s Services Advisory Council.
Indian River Clay is again supplying the bowls.
“We are honored to host Treasure Coast potters and volunteers in creating the bowls, making this a true community partnership,” said Kim Mayo, a representative of Indian River Clay.
The Heritage Center is the host site for the second year of the current arrangement.
“We’re honored to host this event and come together to raise awareness and help homeless families in our community,” said Leslie McKenzie, executive director of the Vero Beach Heritage Center. “The Heritage Center was founded in 1991 to preserve and strengthen our community, and the Soup Bowl is a perfect reflection of that mission.”
The fundraiser started with the center’s first advisory board, led by Betty Egan and Shotsi Lajoie. Board members noted that many homeless people got by on little more than a bowl of soup a day and built the event around that image. Local potters signed on, and churches, nonprofits and businesses later joined. The Bernard A. Egan Foundation has supported the Soup Bowl since the beginning.
