Olympia retiree has become ‘Souperman,’ providing neighbors with nourishing meals
Almost by accident, Chris Hyde of Olympia has embarked on a post-retirement career as a soup chef — a volunteer cook who nourishes neighbors with such creations as halibut and clam chowder, East African peanut soup and healing broth that’s reported to have eased many an illness.
Some call him Soupman, but to the biggest fans of his serendipitous soup kitchen, “Souperman” might be a more appropriate moniker.
“He’s an inspiration,” said Gail Pollock, who doesn’t live far from Hyde but never met him until he started the project, organized through a Facebook group. “What he’s doing is extraordinary. I just think it’s remarkable that he’s so kind and generous. And his soup is delicious.”
In the late afternoon and evening, neighbors can be seen stopping by Hyde’s east side porch to pick up pints of hot soup or frozen offerings from the freezer he calls his “soup library.” All are welcome, regardless of financial need or political views.
“The idea was to make soup available to anyone for any reason,” he said. “You don’t have to be homeless or low income, but there are a lot of those situations out there. I wanted it to be something that really mitigates the divisiveness that we’re all feeling right now.”
Hyde began sharing soup in October as a way to put his garden’s abundance of root vegetables to good use. At first, he posted the soup on the neighborhood Buy Nothing group, and then, he created his own group, Souper Sunday, with the idea that he’d invite friends and strangers alike to his home to dine on Sunday evenings.
“It almost felt like a calling,” he said. “I’m not a religious person, but when I got the idea for it, it was a full-body tingling kind of feeling. It really felt like I was being led to do this thing somehow.”
That idea didn’t take off as he’d hoped, perhaps because people got accustomed to staying home during the COVID pandemic, so he tried porch pickup, and group membership has been growing ever since.
Though he’s always enjoyed cooking, Hyde never expected to be doing it on this scale. He generally makes soup six days a week, and despite the group’s name, soup is available almost every day. “People have really come to depend on it,” he said.
The project has inspired others to be generous, too. Neighbors have contributed ingredients, delivered soup and even made their own soup for Hyde to distribute. (Pollock made a chicken soup with matzoh balls.)
Hyde doesn’t accept cash donations, but the group Facebook page includes a list of ways to donate by buying gift cards at stores and contributing to his soaring power bill.
A bartender he’d never met bought a gift card with a full day of tips (more than $500), and a Thurston County Food Bank volunteer brings him just-expired sandwiches and protein packs from Starbucks when the food bank receives more than it can give away.
“He’s spreading kindness, and kindness is contagious,” Pollock said. “The Northeast neighborhood has always been a very generous neighborhood, and he’s taken it to another level. People are helping any way they can because they can see how much he’s giving of himself. It’s a beautiful thing.”
The Olympia Food Co-op is supporting the project, too. Souper Sunday is now one of the options in the co-op’s Round Up program, which encourages shoppers to round up their total for a cause.
Hyde’s vision for the group is growing, too. He’s aiming to inspire people in other neighborhoods to pull out their own soup pots and follow his lead.
As part of that, he’s working on a cookbook that will include a handful of his most popular recipes, tips for starting a soup group, and illustrations by Roxanna Groves, well-known for her whimsical portraits of animals. The group already has its own T-shirt with a Groves drawing of a cat holding an empty bowl.
Hyde is also thinking about what to serve when the weather warms up. Salads? Sandwiches? Stir fries? And he’s so busy making soup that he’s looking for volunteers to help with his garden, which brings the effort full circle.
Souper Sundays
What: Chris Hyde gives soup to neighbors on Olympia’s east side and is aiming to inspire others to do the same in their own neighborhoods. Despite the group’s name, soup is available pretty much every day.
More information: soupersundayolympia@gmail.com
To donate: Hyde doesn’t accept cash donations, but there are many ways to help through his Facebook page.
