By Mark Abromaitis
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

It was a great harvest this year.

Especially at the gardens of Maris Grove, an Erickson community located just outside of Philadelphia, Pa.

So to celebrate, the Maris Grove Garden Club recently sponsored “Souper Sunday” in the community’s Coebourn Café.

Members of the Garden Club and other residents with green thumbs contributed any extra fresh vegetables they grew in their personal gardens during the growing season to help make a hearty vegetable soup. Then they donated all proceeds earned from the sale of the meal to the community’s Benevolent Care Fund.

A ‘home-style’ menu
With the assistance of Chef Marvin Wilson, Community Resources Manager Jennifer Allen says residents and staff planned the comfort-food meal together.

“This wasn’t fancy; we wanted this to be a good, home-style meal,” Allen says. “There’s nothing better on a Sunday evening than a warm cup of soup with crusty bread and butter and, of course, friends.”

Most of the ingredients, including the tomatoes, onions, zucchini, and sweet bell peppers, came from the Maris Grove gardens. Even the flower arrangements on the tables were fresh-cut donations from the residents’ gardens. The local Panera Bread bakery also pitched in, generously donating 22 loaves of bread for the meal.

“It was most impressive to see the variety of things that our neighbors were growing in their gardens,” Maris Grove resident Antoinette Kaufman says. “We are already discussing next year’s plans and working with the Garden Club so that we can grow every one of the meal’s ingredients right here at Maris Grove.”

Food, folks, and fun
But the event was more that just a meal; it turned into a party. Almost 200 guests didn’t leave after the soup was gone. Kaufman got behind the piano, and fellow resident Joe Ennis began playing the drums. Residents danced and enjoyed the rest of the evening together.