By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
HAGERSVILLE—Members of the church council at Hagersville United Church have pulled off their second successful takeout soup lunch, raising roughly $800 in the event, which took place on April 29, 2022.
Participants pre-ordered their soups at a price of $8 a serving. Options available included chicken noodle, cabbage roll, beef barley, cream of broccoli, and cream of cauliflower.
“We had one in March and it was pretty successful,” said church council member Dale Vecero. “We decided to try again.”
To help expand their reach, Vecero visited a number of local businesses with an offer to serve them lunch as part of the fundraiser.
“We can’t believe how many businesses actually enjoyed it,” said Vecero, noting how she has received many inquiries about when the next soup lunch will take place.
The collected funds from the event will go towards church expenditures, “With COVID, our numbers were down, yet we continue to have bills to pay, so we had to think of ways to make a little bit of extra money to get them paid. It takes a lot of money to run a church!”
Vecero said that although the team misses the big community lunches they are known for, the takeout model has proven popular, “They take so much less work… It’s hard to find help to put on dinners. You need a lot more people to serve, set tables, and all that. This way, you can get away with two or three people in the kitchen, no dishes, and you’re done.”
She expressed her thanks to the community, “We appreciate it so much. Without them, we couldn’t do anything.”
