The Soup Network
What Is It?
Ever thought a bowl of soup could change the way you give back to your community? Now it can. Communities across the country are hosting monthly dinners that bring active individuals together for food, conversation and creative project proposals. Every model, from SOUP in Iowa City, Iowa, and Sunday Soup GR in Grand Rapids, Mich., to FEAST MPLS in Minneapolis, Minn., has evolved into its own unique program while keeping the same community-funding model in mind.
Giving Back
The basic soup grant model works to bring community members together while awarding mini-grants to the artists who pitch their ideas each month. While there are variations to these dinners, the concept is the same: People come to the dinner and talk about their ideas and everyone who contributes to the collection pot (usually $5 or $10) votes on their top choice for a proposal to fund. At the end of the evening, the winner of the grant could receive as much as $1000, depending on the size of the gathering.
Keeping Things Global
This mini-grant and community dinner concept has sprung up in cities all over the United States. Some suppers have even started in Europe. The Soup Network is just one conglomeration that incorporates 30 programs worldwide. These programs have collectively raised more than $22,000 to support 70+ creative proposals, such as a Barefoot Victory Garden in Grand Rapids, Mich., and an art gallery, the BS Gallery.
How Can I Get Involved?
It’s simple to get involved. Visit the Sunday Soup website for a list of dinners and events happening near you. You can also volunteer to host one of the events or make the dinner, and if you don’t see any events near you, start your own. The Sunday Soup website can help show you how (keep reading and we’ll give you some tips, too).
Your Own Sunday Soup
To start your own Sunday Soup program, make sure a dedicated group is involved in the planning process from start to finish, and meet regularly to hash out details. Find a space to host the event and find someone to prepare the meal — this can change monthly, especially if the event is on a volunteer basis. Seek out people in your community who would benefit from this network and encourage them to share their ideas at the dinner. Promote the community-based meal on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, and you’re on your way to hosting a successful Sunday Soup. Check out more tips on the Sunday Soup website.
A SOUP Success
In November 2010, Cheryl Robinson, a graduate student at the University of Iowa, and five colleagues applied for a grant from SOUP (the group that hosts community dinners in Iowa City, Iowa). Their goal: to fund a basement art gallery in Cheryl’s home. Robinson and her colleagues won the $70 mini-grant and hosted the SOUP dinner in March, so that fellow contributors could see their progress. “Hosting the SOUP was sort of like giving it back and keeping it [these efforts] in the community,” Robinson says.
