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GLIDDEN — Before the calendar crossed from 2023 to 2024, Edward Pavlicek and his dedicated group of volunteers held one last act of charity before the new year on Dec. 21. The annual ‘Soup for your Soul’ and toy drive event has grown in magnitude each year as the group of donors and volunteers help feed and give gifts to families for the holiday season.
According to Pavlicek, he cooked about 64 gallons of soup that filled 220 containers for families and elderly throughout the county. He expressed gratitude for the donors that provided funds for the soup ingredients as his personal and professional life prevented him from being able to direct his efforts towards securing donations. Despite the time crunch, Pavlicek’s donors provided plenty of funds for the soup as well as the toys and gifts as part of the annual toy drive that is paired with the December iteration of Soup for your Soul.
Soup for your Soul is an initiative by a group of volunteers to provide families who seek out to be on the list with at least one hot meal on the third Thursday of each month. The volunteers create and add to the list of recipients all year and ask the families that take part in the monthly soup if they will be looking to receive gifts for their children in December.
By the end of the event, the group had served 80 families and with about 240 to 250 children receiving toys just before Christmas. As part of the Christmas theme, children and families could take photos with Santa and the Grinch.
There are no requirements needed to participate in the toy drive or in the monthly soup days as it has remained open to the public since its inception in 2017 and after Pavlicek took over the operation in 2019.
