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Volume 1, Issue 49
Weekend Weather Thursday
H -2º L -4º
Friday
H -7º L -7º
Saturday
H -3º L -9º
Sunday
H -2º L -7º
As reported from Environment Canada www.weatheroffice.gc.ca Harrow AAFC
2010 - Year in Review Pages 12-20
50-year Mason pin Page 6
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
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Soup Guru raises $4,700 for families in need By Sheila McBrayne In nine weeks Bill Dunn, Leamington’s own Soup Guru, raised an amazing $4,700 for the Salvation Army and brought a community together to show that compassion is alive and well in this town. “Thank God for everybody showing up. I had a hairbrained idea and people followed. People came with donations, soups, cookies, and just so much support for this,” said Bill Dunn on the last day of his now famous Soup Kitchen held in the basement of the Masonic Lodge every Wednesday in November and December. The first week saw 60 to 70 people show up to the free (by voluntary donation only) Soup Kitchen that Dunn started on his own. That first week he and a handful of volunteers served about 60 people. Dunn had brought three vats of soup and a friend had added a fourth. It didn’t take long before he was serving up 10 large soup pots a week. The first week approximately $300 was collected in the donation box. “It just kept steadily increasing and after it was in your paper, the numbers really jumped,” said Dunn. The highest attendance was 232 people and the most money collected was $831. “This community really came out and showed their support,” he said. They also came forward with donations to take some of the financial burden off Dunn who works at Great Canadian Super Store in Leamington. His company came forward to sponsor soups as well as donate the bowls and plastic utensils. Dunn had originally planned to run his Soup Kitchen until December 22, but de-
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Bill Dunn, Leamington’s Soup Guru on the final day of his Soup Kitchen (December 29).
cided to extend it into the holiday season and end it on December 29. On the final day Dunn was joined by his grandmother from Florida, a brother from British Columbia and other family members who were in town and wanted to help. “I do like doing it. I enjoy creating, making and sharing my soups,” said Dunn. “I had no idea that the community would
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be so supportive. This is such a great and caring community… There have been so many special stories and examples of humanity over the weeks, it revives your faith,” said Dunn. On his final day he served 179 people with some of his most requested soups – cream of potato and bacon, split pea and ham, Tom’s hearty chicken noodle, Rosie’s cabbage soup and Sue’s turkey
noodle. Jamila Mikhail added a full turkey to the menu for the final soup day. “This is a very special community,” said Dunn. The Soup Guru may be taking his love for making soup into local schools. Dunn said he’s talked with Mill Street Public School, which serves canned soup every Wednesday for their soup program. “I can make them fresh soup and the peo-
(SUN Photo)
ple at Break Time Corner said I could use their facilities to make the soup,” he said. When asked if he intends to bring the Soup Kitchen back to Leamington for next Christmas he said it depended on a lot of factors – whether he could get the Masonic Hall again, if he had the volunteer support, etc. (Continued on Page 2)