Riverview Community Bank Soup’s On!, held on Oct. 11, raised a gross total of $65,543 in support of Share’s vital programs and services for the hungry and homeless. The event was a record-breaker in both dollars raised as well as attendance, with almost 600 guests.
A highlight of the event were the soups prepared by local chefs, including: Branden Marsh of The Grant House, who prepared General Grant’s Hearty Potato Soup; Josh Simpson of Herb ‘N Roots, who prepared Fall Curried Squash; Troy Lucio of Hilton Vancouver, who prepared Tuscan Chowder with White Truffle Panzanella; Edward Helbig of Legacy Health Salmon Creek Medical Center, who prepared Indian Summer Soup; Mychal Culver of Mill Creek Pub, who prepared Creamy Sausage & Potato Soup with Vegetables; and Mariz Lopez of New Seasons Market, who prepared Smokey French Lentil Soup. Guests voted Troy Lucio as the People’s Choice ‘Soup-er Chef’ Award for Best Soup; his victory marked a three-peat for the Hilton, who also won in 2012 and 2011.
Share also presented volunteer awards; the 2014 Emily Marshall Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Jan and Dave Franzen.
“Jan and Dave give their time, energy, heart and a lot of caring thought to our programs. They are dedicated volunteers for our Backpack and Summer Meals programs. During the summer they are the driving force in keeping the warehouse in order and during the school year they continue that work each Tuesday, helping coordinate drivers and load vehicles,” shared Dellan Redjou, director of volunteers and community resources, in her award presentation. “Each Thursday, they deliver to at least 3-4 school locations. Dave actually built a special c art to keep in the back of his truck just for the Backpack and Summer Meals programs. They truly enjoy the volunteer work that they do and know what a difference it makes to Share’s clients.”
Jan and Dave shared this: “The biggest things we like about helping (It’s not work to us!) are helping the children and being able to give back something in return for all we have been blessed with. Nothing warms our hearts more than to see the smiles on the kids’ faces when they get their lunch or breakfast, or to hear from a school counselor how happy the kids are to get that bag of food, or hear that their pantry has been restocked on Thursday.”
Additional volunteer winners included Carolyn Ochs (category: individual) and the Clark County Veterans Court Board (category: group); Walmart was recognized as a Community Resource award winner.
The evening also included a special presentation by two past and the current Board Presidents – John Payne, John McDonagh and Peter Fels, respectively – focusing on the growth of Share over the past 25 years, due in no small part to the dedicated leadership of executive director Diane McWithey, who celebrated her 25th anniversary with Share on Oct. 1.
