While out and about someone asked me why I would want to cover Soup at Spaulding for the Detroiter.  The Detroiter is supposed to be about art, so how does a ‘potluck’ fit in with that? With all due respect, Soup at Spaulding is not a potluck at all, which you would see if you come down for yourself. Art is not just something on a wall or a sculpture.  Art can be seen in the way we live our lives, what we eat, wear, who we spend our time with and how. Soup has as much to do with art as any gathering of creative people does.

So, here’s how it works: People pay five dollars at the door for soup, salad, bread, and a ‘voting stone’. Presenters pitch their projects and the people vote for the project they want their five dollars to go to. This is a great way for community members to make sure their money goes back to the community. Since it’s inception in August, Soup at Spaulding has funded creative projects in the community from the building of a rocket stove in the neighboring Spirit Farm, to the creation of an addition to the abandoned house Art neighborhood in northern Hamtramck. Of course, if you present and win, you must report back to Soup to let the people know you accomplished your goals.

This November at Soup has been interesting. John Koller of Friends of Spaulding Court announced that the electrical inspectors gave Spaulding Court the thumbs up. There are visible results of the benefits of Soup, as seen in the case of Blair Nosam, whose project was the first to be funded by Soup, as she is successfully selling her Suddenly Sauer pickled products. Kate Devlin continues to sell the famous duck eggs and vegetables from Spirit Farm.

This month has hosted groups of over 50, so Soup at Spaulding is growing. For the first Soup of the month Gregg Newsom presented to get curtains for the church gym, so the yoga classes don’t freeze up. I was the second presenter (by surprise.) John Koller fished us up from the audience to present our plan to do food justice murals at the church. The vote came down to the curtains for yoga class. Even though our project didn’t ‘win’ it wass really great to be able to let people know what project we were working on. Who knows what kind of resources may pop up afterwards?

At the second week of Soup at Spaulding the stage was populated by John Koller and…John Koller, for two different projects. The first option was a straw bike garage to be built behind Spaulding Court, and the second was to fund extra materials costs for Soup. The materials won, which made the Soup Queen, Hannah Lewis’ day. She will now have an easier time preparing and serving soups like her delicious pumpkin cranberry every week!