As you prepare for Thanksgiving, we invite you to join Noozhawk this #GivingTuesday, November 28th and cap off the year by supporting the causes and nonprofits that hold a special place in your heart. Explore our Giving Guide to discover meaningful ways to make a positive impact and contribute to the betterment of our community.
Let’s collectively make this holiday season a time of giving, compassion, and positive change. Your support can help create a brighter and more hopeful future for those in need.
Our Good for Santa Barbara Nonprofit Section provides all the resources you need to donate this holiday season!
In this interview Noozhawk spoke with Jennifer Hyle, Development Manager at Organic Soup Kitchen to learn more about how the nonprofit provides healthy nutrition to low income individuals and those battling cancer and chronic illness.
Organic Soup Kitchen
Question: What is the name and mission of your nonprofit?
Answer: Organic Soup Kitchen and our mission is to provide metabolic oncology nutrition and food security to support the health and wellness of low income seniors and other individuals with cancer and chronic illness.
Q: What was the inspiration behind your nonprofit?
A: The inspiration behind Organic Soup Kitchen is a deep passion for helping others and the belief that all people should have access to lifesaving nutrition and food security. Every day we are inspired by the thousands of clients, most of whom are battling cancer or chronic illness, who tell us that our SoupMeals have saved their lives and helped them thrive during extremely difficult times.
Our team has dedicated their lives to researching the clinical effects of whole organic foods on disease prevention and recovery. It’s through this work alongside oncologists, nutritionists and other medical professionals, that we have formulated anti-inflammatory soup recipes that strengthen the immune system, promote healing and alleviate diet related diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes. It is our honor and privilege to help others achieve health, healing and longevity through nutrition.
Q: How is your nonprofit primarily funded and what are your greatest needs?
A: Organic Soup Kitchen is 100% community supported. The number of applicants we receive is rising and sharply outpacing our funding. As a result, we have a waiting list. Our greatest need is for donations that will go directly towards moving individuals off our waiting list and into our program.
Q: How do people get involved/volunteer for your nonprofit?
A: Our organization is 85% volunteer led. The best way to inquire about volunteer opportunities is to email us at contact@organicsoupkitchen.org.
Q: What makes your nonprofit different from others?
A: Our non profit is unique in that we hand make and deliver a product. We do everything from working with local farms to procure fresh seasonal produce and clinically formulating recipes to hand crafting and packaging 200-400 gallons of SoupMeals in our state of the art kitchen and delivering them to 800+ individuals weekly.
Q: Can you share one or two stories of individuals whose lives have been changed because of your organization?
A: We have received hundreds of messages from our clients expressing their gratitude for our lifesaving nutrition. A cancer client recently shared the following, “During my cancer ordeal I’ve lost a ton of weight and these soups give me the nutrition that I wouldn’t otherwise have. Your SoupMeals saved me! It means so much to me to be on the receiving end of something so wonderful.”
Our community partner, Hospice, shared the following about a senior they referred to us with Parkinson’s Disease living in a garage of her family’s home. “Holly was not getting the necessary nutritional intake that is recommended for someone her age, and was malnourished. Due to the high costs of her prescription drugs to manage her disease, she was unable to afford healthy nutrition. She had to choose between the two. Now, that she is receiving nutritional soups, enough to last her throughout the week, she is able to pay for her medications, and receive the recommended caloric intake for someone her age. Since she started eating the soups, she is thriving and able to spend more time with her son.”
Q: How does the work of your nonprofit get communicated to the public?
A: We are the leading nutrition referral source for the top health and human service agencies throughout the county. Community members can keep updated on everything happening at Organic Soup kitchen on social media, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, or subscribe to our weekly newsletter and menu on our website at www.organicsoupkitchen.org.
Q: Why should donors trust your organization and are there other ways to help outside of donations?
A: Organic Soup Kitchen is one of only 1% of nonprofits in the US to receive the Platinum Seal of Transparency on GuideStar, the world’s largest source of non profit information. We also have a 4 star rating on Charity Navigator and are a proud member of 1% for the Planet. We welcome volunteers and the best way to inquire about opportunities is to email us at contact@organicsoupkitchen.org.
Q: Can you tell us one short-term goal AND one long-term goal that your nonprofit has for the next year?
A: As power outages increase at an alarming rate, one immediate goal is to equip our operation with a backup energy system to ensure that we can continue operating in the case of an emergency power outage. Longer term, we plan to install solar panels on the roof of our Distribution and Education Center. Solar, in conjunction with a backup energy system, will dramatically reduce our carbon footprint and ensure that our clients receive the lifesaving nutrition they rely on. This campaign is underway and we welcome support to achieve these goals.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to share about your nonprofit that has not been mentioned above?
A: We are a nonprofit that operates as a social enterprise. That means that we sell our SoupMeals to the general public and 100% of the income supports the nonprofit. Our priority as a nonprofit is to have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of our community. Operating our non profit as a social enterprise allows greater access to clean organic nutrition for all Santa Barbara County community members.
Click here to learn more about Organic Soup Kitchen’s mission to provide metabolic oncology nutrition and food security to support the health and wellness of low income seniors and other individuals with cancer and chronic illness.
Check out Noozhawk’s Guide to Giving for a full list of nonprofits to donate to this giving season.
If you would like to include your nonprofit in our Good for Santa Barbara section and Giving Guide click HERE.