Published: November 03, 2008 10:16 pm      

Serving a need

United Way helps Soup Opera help

FAIRMONT — As the holidays approach, organizations such as the Soup Opera play a big role in helping some people have a nice meal and some clothes to help keep them warm.

And even though the state of the economy worries officials a bit when it comes to getting donations, “The Lord has been good to us,” said Barbara Mundell, clothing coordinator for the organization that started out as a soup kitchen in 1983.

“He looks after us. We’re blessed, but I’m still worried about it.”

The Soup Opera first set up in 1983 in a hallway of a jewelry store across from the Marion County Courthouse.

In 1984, after operating in a space with one conventional-sized stove and one conventional-sized oven, and utilizing school desks as serving tables, the Soup Opera purchased its own space at 109 Fairmont Ave., which was used until moving to the current location, the old Salvation Army building at 425 Quincy St., in 2002.

“I never dreamed it would last this many years,” said Sharon Zaccagnini, a member of the board of directors and treasurer who has been with the Soup Opera for a large portion of its existence.

“We are a United Way agency, and that’s one area of growth,” she said.

The United Way gives about $9,000 annually to the Soup Opera and that money is used for salaries for four staff people as well as building maintenance, said director Vicky Steele.

“They are a vital support for our organization,” Steele said. “Without their money, we would be hardpressed to continue from day to day and from month to month.”

In addition to serving lunch daily — from about 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Saturday and a little later on Sundays — the Soup Opera has evolved to include several services.

The clothing room, Steele said, allows patrons to “shop, but clothes are free so they can pick out what they need or want and they are free to take them.”

“We also offer a personal hygiene closet, which is available Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1 to 3 p.m.,” Steele said. “We have toothpaste, soap, razors, shaving cream and those types of items. Right now, that supply is very low, but when we have those things, whatever they have, they are welcome to come in and get whatever we’ve got.”

The Soup Opera also offers laundry and shower facilities, and people can sign up to use those, Steele said.

Finally, a food pantry allows people to get items during the food giveaway, which takes place on the third Friday of every month.

“But if someone has an emergency, they can come in and we’ll give them some things to hold them over,” Steele said.

With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, those food items will be even more important, Steele said. The next food giveaway, Nov. 21, will be on the Friday before Thanksgiving.

“We’re trying to get collections for enough food so we can give people two bags of food,” Steele said. “We’re hoping to give out a surplus of food so between the food baskets and whatever they get from the mission or the Salvation Army, they’ll have a nice Thanksgiving meal.”

During the holidays, as the colder weather approaches, Mundell’s duties also pick up. She collects sweatshirts, socks, gloves, hats and scarves to be given out.

“We have a lot of bigger people, so we try to collect anything from sizes 1X to 3X,” Mundell said.

Soup Opera employees like to have toys on hand to give out to the children.

“And we sometimes wrap a gift of perfume or cologne for women,” Mundell said. “We try to give those out to those who are less fortunate if they don’t have somebody to buy for them.”

Soup Opera services are provided to people “with no questions asked,” Zaccagnini said.

In addition to the current services, Milan Puskar Health Right will operate a satellite medical clinic one day a week out of the Soup Opera. That should be established some time after the new year.

A variety of churches, organizations and associations target the Soup Opera for their collections. Workers and volunteers will begin wrapping gifts in early December, and gifts will be handed out beginning at 1 p.m. Dec. 22.

“That’s a busy time for us,” Mundell said. “We ask that the Lord keeps watching over us and provides for us.”

E-mail Mary Wade Burnside at mwburnside@timeswv.com.