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| SKIP has been serving meals in PTown since 1992. |
One
of Provincetown’s greatest, most delicious fundraising affairs is Souper
Saturday, held during our annual Holly Folly event, on the first Saturday of
December every year.
This
event benefits SKIP, the Soup Kitchen In Provincetown, which will provide an
estimated 13,000 hot, nutritious meals for Outer Cape residents over the
winter, at no charge. To do this, they will need to raise close to $100,000
this year to help their volunteers to continue this remarkable community
service.
I’m
going to prime you for Souper Saturday by teasing you with photos of great
soups I’ve had in PTown restaurants as I go on. Some of these will definitely
be offered today from 11:30AM to 3:30 PM at Tin Pan Alley, at 269 Commercial
Street, in the heart of Provincetown.
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| Littlenecks and fresh-snipped herbs make The Canteen's clam chowder a favorite. |
Founded
in 1992, the Soup Kitchen is now open to the public every weekday from November
through April, holidays included. Volunteers prepare and serve soup, salad, an
entrée with side dishes, as well as beverages and desert, for around 80 to 100
people each day. Thanksgiving saw about 175 folks from all walks of life enjoy
a splendid meal together, as well as the feeling of community provided by this
remarkable resource. Local musicians gave us live music for the occasion.
At
the end of each day’s meal, food is also packed for guests to take home, or to
drop off to various folks who can’t always get to the luncheon, held Monday
through Friday till the last full week of April, at the United Methodist
Church, at 10 Shank Painter Road.
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| The Red Inn is known for their hearty lobster corn chowder |
The
volunteers are looking to further expand their services this year. They’re
experimenting with offering an extra, different meal on Fridays, in addition to
lunch. It’s an entrée, packed and ready to go, so guests can have a meal over
the weekend. As with the regular meals, there’s a meat and a side dish, with an
all-vegetarian option available as well. This could prove to be a great help
for a lot of people struggling with the high cost of living in Provincetown.
SKIP
helps to bridge the financial gap for folks living in a seasonal economy, with
the vast majority of the Outer Cape population having no employment in the
wintertime. The Soup Kitchen also provides a place to meet and socialize, to
connect with others in a community where people can sometimes feel isolated in
the solitude of the off-season. The volunteers work hard to provide a genuinely
warm, welcoming atmosphere as well as healthful, nutritious meals, and
absolutely everyone is welcome.
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| Ross' Grill knocked my socks off one day with this amazing fennel bisque. |
You
can help, too, simply by having a scrumptious lunch today, on Souper Saturday,
at this fun, festive, mouthwatering event. More than two-dozen restaurants and
delis are donating cauldrons of favorite soups so you’ll have a chance to taste
several, if you’d like. A $5 donation will get you a ticket so you can choose a
cup of any soup you’d like from a very long table with volunteers ready to
serve you.
When
a particular soup runs out, another variety from a different restaurant will be
brought out of the kitchen, so the soups will change throughout the afternoon.
There are bound to be clam chowders, lobster bisques, as well as choices for
vegetarians. I'm hoping for a roasted vegetable soup or a butternut squash. Of
course, in PTown, you’re likely to find a couple of Portuguese favorites like
kale soup, or maybe a squid stew. There may be a beef barley, or perhaps a
fennel bisque or corn chowder, or any other whim of some of the town’s best
chefs. There’s no telling what delights might be offered for lunch today.
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| This chicken soup with Thai and Mexican chilis made me love the Mews all the more. |
I
usually get two or three tickets, because I want to taste more than one soup.
I’ve also seen folks who will sit down to two or three cups of the very same
soup, like a favorite clam chowder, for instance. You can also come early and
enjoy one variety, starting at 11:30 AM, and stop back later for another taste
as the soups change during the day. Anything goes, and all of the proceeds will
go to SKIP, so eat generously. The event runs until 3:30 PM.
You
can also stop in at the old firehouse across the street, at 240 Commercial
Street, for something new this year, and this is going to be very popular…
You
can pick up cold quarts of soup for $10 each, packed “to go” for you to warm up
later, for dinner tonight or lunch tomorrow.
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| Restaurant from PTown to Wellfleet each brought their own version of kale soup to the 2017 Portuguese Festival. |
So
that makes meals inexpensive and very easy to handle, too, as you’re busy
shopping and attending Holly Folly events. Whether you live in town or have
rented a condo for the weekend, you can gather friends and family and have your
own soup tasting without having to cook. That will help SKIP to raise the money
to continue providing a place of community, as well as thousands of free meals in the coming year.
By
the way, you’ll want to do a little of your holiday shopping at the firehouse
as well, where you’ll find useful items that make great gifts. SKIP merchandise
such as soup or coffee mugs, tee shirts, caps, water bottles and oven mitts
will be on sale there. Again, all proceeds benefit the Soup Kitchen
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| Some like their clam chowder thick and chunky, like this one at Bayside Betsy's. |
If
you are reading this from somewhere far from Cape Cod, or are otherwise unable
to attend Souper Saturday, you can make a contribution to the Soup Kitchen by
check, debit card, credit card or PayPal, through their website, or simply send
a check SKIP at PO Box 538, Provincetown, MA 02657. SKIP is a registered 501(c)
3 non-profit corporation, so donations are fully tax-deductible.
There's
no telling which restaurants will make an appearance at this great event, and
some might surprise us by bringing something unexpected, but that's half
the fun of this shindig. With soups from nearly 30 Outer Cape eateries, there
will definitely be something for everyone, and you may end up tasting soups
from a couple of spots you've never visited. Excellent!
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| This spicy squid stew livened up the Portuguese Festival one year. I believe it was a surprise from the Lobster Pot. |
I
hope to meet you over a bowl of soup today at Tin Pan Alley. We thank them for
their generous donation of their restaurant for the day. We thank the chefs and
kitchen staffs of all of the restaurants and delis sending huge pots of
wonderful soups for our lunches and dinners. Don't forget to stop at the
firehouse for soup to go, and a holiday gift or two.
And,
as always, we thank the leaders and volunteers of the Soup
Kitchen for their remarkable commitment and service to Provincetown
and the greater community of the Outer Cape. Help them out… Have some Soup!
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