Fairmont's Soup Opera finds some dry ground to rest on while repairs are made to building
Dec. 1—FAIRMONT — This week, there's a good news, bad news situation going on at the Soup Opera.
The good news is that Director Misty Tennant and her team have found a semi-permanent location out of which to perform their work. The bad news is that their holiday plans have had to change.
"The main thing that we're saddened about is that we will not be doing our Christmas giveaway," Tennant said. "It's just not going to happen. Everyone's been calling about where they should take their donations. There's the toy drive for Saturday at the Bowers building on the East side. Connecting Link, Salvation Army, United Way, I would reach out to one of them and let them see where to take everything because we just cannot do it this year and we're heartbroken over it."
Typically, Soup Opera gives out toys, hats, sweatshirts, gloves or socks at a two-day event for Christmas. The event helps families pick up the items they need to make the holiday a reality for their kids. This year, however, necessity will preclude any possibility of the usual holiday giveaway. Around 7 p.m. Nov. 20, Tennant received a video showing water spraying out of the building up the side in the back. When she returned to the Soup Opera, she walked into a crisis. The water damage forced the nonprofit to serve its traditional Thanksgiving meal at nearby St. Peter the Fisherman Catholic Church.
But the operation has had to make a quick scramble to find a place for its normal operations since Thanksgiving.
For the time being, Soup Opera will serve meals and collect donations at Central United Methodist Church on Fairmont Avenue. Tennant and other members of the Soup Opera team are working with Bob Cover, head of trustees at the Church, to ensure that the most vulnerable members of the community can still find a place to eat.
"When we realized what had happened there and they weren't going to be able to be in the building, I offered them to at least use our kitchen to prepare sandwiches and things, like we're doing today," he said. "We'll figure it out, even if we have to set up a tent in the parking lot to serve out of, just to get food in people's hands. This church has always supported the Soup Opera strongly."
Cover said the church has a little extra storage space, as well as a nice kitchen to work out of. Tennant has her office set up in one of the church's rooms, and is storing non-perishable donations there. She said they've been serving sack lunches every day Monday through Friday. She's not concerned about running out of space, if there's a need for extra storage they have a secure container sitting in the Soup Opera parking lot for any overflow.
Tennant had to move out of the Soup Opera building temporarily in order for the repairs to begin. Crossroads Restoration is working on the construction. They've hauled a dumpster over to the Soup Opera at Quincy and Jackson streets so the restoration team can throw out ruined food and building material. Tennant expects the demolition phase will last around three or four weeks, after which a construction crew will come in to begin rebuilding what was ruined by the flood.
"They've been a blessing, we like it up here. It's peaceful," she said. "We just need to get the word out because we're not serving very many people, like nine people. As soon as everyone realizes we're up here, we will start serving more."
Jeff Greene, a volunteer at the Soup Opera and VFW member, was on site helping out however he could. He volunteered the use of his truck to help haul everything Tennant needed out of the Soup Opera building to the church. He said he was surprised by the level of response he's seen the Soup Opera garner after the call for help went out. The community really stepped up in a big way.
"We come from a good community here in Marion County," he said. "That's the way it oughta be, everybody should stick together and help each other out. That's the reason why I volunteer, because I like to help other people do whatever they need."
Donations to help the Soup Opera maintain its operations are still needed. Anyone who wants more information on how to donate can call 304-367-1098 for more information.
Reach Esteban at efernandez@timeswv.com
