It took less than a week for Bowen Islanders to rally around the remaining vegetables in the field of Primrose Farm and turn it into more than 70 litres of soup for the Bowen Island Food Bank.
David Adams says his mother-in-law, Barbara Adams, knew that Clemencia Braraton had vegetables to spare in her garden, and urged him to get to work.
“She told me I make great soup,” he said.
That was Monday. On Tuesday, David and Barbara went to Primrose Farm and collected leeks, parsley, bay leaves, garlic and “lots” of beets. The next step was to call the Ruddy Potato and ask for donations of some of the missing ingredients.
“Next thing I knew we had another 200 lbs in produce,” says Adams.
After a positive response from volunteer chefs willing to help make the soup, Adams asked Alderwood farms for the use of their kitchen, and they responded with an immediate yes. Copper Kettle Sauces offered up any of their on-hand herbs to help with the soup making process.
On Sunday, the group delivered the 70 litres of soup to the food bank’s freezer.
This all came as a pleasant surprise to Sue Clarke, who oversees the operation of the food bank.
“People and organizations have done this kind of thing before, but I had no idea it was in the works,” says Clarke, who adds that food bank usage seems to increase every year.
Susan Swift, who helped make the soup, says she hopes that the tradition of making soup for the food bank continues.
“Really, though, I don’t think we need to wait until the next holiday season to make this happen again,” she says.
