Soup Making With The Dugout And Volunteer Wave

On November 29, 2025, the Volunteer Wave community partnered once again with The Dugout to prepare nourishing meals for people who drop in each day for support and connection. Located in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, The Dugout offers a safe and welcoming living room style space for community members experiencing homelessness, including those staying in nearby shelters. Visitors can stop by for coffee, water, snacks, washroom access, and a place to rest, watch TV, and feel at ease.

Our soup making days always begin with a food pickup from The Dugout, followed by a delivery to the Watari kitchen where the cooking takes place. This time, the donations included a generous supply of onions, potatoes, and tomatoes, along with other vegetables such as bell peppers. With these ingredients as the foundation, volunteers worked together to prepare three hearty dishes: Honey Sausage Chili, Country Ham and Mushroom Pasta, and Potato Harvest Soup.

The Watari kitchen was full of energy throughout the day. Volunteers jumped in to wash, chop, and saute vegetables, moving easily between tasks while sharing conversations and music in the background. One of the highlights was cooking alongside volunteers from other local organizations, which created space to learn about different community efforts and sparked ideas for future collaboration.

Once everything was prepared, the soup components were carefully packed up and transported back to The Dugout to be served in the days ahead. It was a day rooted in teamwork, connection, and the simple comfort of good food. We are so thankful to everyone who gave their time and care to make this possible, and to the volunteers who joined us in the Watari kitchen for this session.

If you are interested in taking part in future soup making shifts with the Volunteer Wave community, you can sign up through Bloomerang under the opportunity titled The Dugout. More dates will be announced soon, and we look forward to returning to the kitchen together.