The food bank that operates in Merritt deserves all the positive press coverage it gets, because it feeds people who would likely go hungry without the help. But

there’s another facility in Merritt that feeds hungry people, and it gets less coverage. The Bread Basket soup kitchen in the Anglican Church hall on Chapman Street serves lunch to about 100 people twice a week, and while its organizers tend to work quietly, there is a need for help there that should not be ignored by the press, or the residents and businesses of Merritt.

Drop in any Tuesday or Friday around lunch time and you’ll see what goes on – people sitting around tables with bowls of soup and plates of bread, some of them eating their only assured meal of the day. Behind the counter are the people who run this soup kitchen, Ernie and Pam Whittaker, and sometimes Jerry and Linda Karlson, all volunteers.

The Bread Basket grew out of a monthly dinner served at the Civic Centre by a few volunteers around a dozen years ago. Eventually, the Anglican Church hall was made available, and the Bread Basket had a real home.

Later, of course, the 100-year-old hall would be torn down and rebuilt, and the Bread Basket soup kitchen would move to temporary digs at Trinity United Church across the street. The hall was reopened a few months ago, and the Bread Basket moved back in – to a freshly painted new building.

Representatives of several governments were at the grand opening of the church hall, there because they had contributed money to the rebuilding effort. But government money does not go into the purchase of things like chicken, beef, carrots, potatoes, and bread. Those things come by way of donated goods and money.

Some Merritt businesses and residents already contribute to the soup kitchen – Cooper’s Foods supplies bread and buns, and local mills and other companies have donated money. Restaurants and ranches contribute food. Individuals have walked in and dropped a few bucks in the coffee can, or sent cheques for a few hundred dollars. There’s community spirit at work there, and I’ve seldom seen anyone ask for any kind of recognition for a donation. Maybe that’s the soup kitchen’s problem – too much pure altruism. A little more self-promotion by people who make donations might, in fact, be a good thing.

Because hunger is increasing, and the Bread Basket needs more.

We support the Nicola Valley and District Food Bank and hope you will, too. But don’t forget that there’s a soup kitchen that needs help, and because they make up fresh soup twice a week, your donations don’t have to consist of non-perishable food items. You can take a bag of carrots down (or cash, for that matter) to the Bread Basket any Tuesday or Friday at lunch time (have a bowl of soup while you’re there – it’s pretty good). They’ll be happy to take your donation. And you’ll have a right to feel good when you do it.