Savored Soup, Soup & More

Those who attended the 27th Annual Soup, Soup & More community dinner enjoyed a savory time on Saturday, Feb. 22, at Niwot United Methodist Church on Lookout Road in Gunbarrel. For three hours, over 20 delicious soups were on display in crock pots just waiting for sampling. In addition to the soups, community members enjoyed a variety of salads, breads and desserts.

All the soups were homemade by church members and friends. One church member, the spry nonagenarian Arlene Grinnell, made and donated 13 pies by herself. The church provides all the food, plates, drinks and utensils so that 100% of the proceeds can go to the dedicated charitable causes each year.

While there was no entrance fee or ticket price required for admittance, nearly 100 people from throughout the Niwot/Gunbarrel community gave donations totalling $1610.

The funds this year will be split equally between the Reentry Initiative in Longmont, which provides help for the formerly incarcerated persons to drive down recidivism, and the church's technology fund, which will help the church get a much-needed update to its sound and video system.

Janet Gates, coordinator of the event, noted that the donation to the Reentry Initiative, founded by Deb Simmons and her husband Wayne Simmons in 2016, was especially meaningful because Deb Simmons, her longtime friend and mentor, passed away earlier this month after a long and valiant fight with pancreatic cancer.

Gates also thanked the Left Hand Valley Courier for publicizing the event, saying, "We had several people who attended mention that they read about it in the Courier."