Turn the Page: SE King County offers Bunches of Book Groups
By DeAnn Rossetti
There are many reasons to join a reading group. Not only is it a good way for book lovers to come together and enjoy each other's company, you’ll end up reading outside the genres you usually select, broadening your reading horizons. It's also a great way to meet new friends and like-minded people, with whom you can argue about the various merits of that month’s book.
The King County Library System (KCLS) has a variety of book groups to meet the needs of a majority of SE King County’s reading residents.
Maple Valley Library hosts four book groups, Between the Covers, a morning adult women’s book group, the Men’s Book Group that is for adult males who love to read, the Tuesday Night Book Group, another group for adult women, and the Teen Book Club that is for kids enrolled in middle school through high school, roughly ages 10-18.
Fairwood Library in Renton has three book groups, the Lively Minds Book group and the Afternoon Book Club, both for adults of both genders, though these groups are populated mostly by women, and the Books and Bites for Teens ages 12 and up.
Auburn Library has one book group for adults of both genders, as does Covington Library.
Black Diamond Library has two children’s book groups starting in October, one for home schooled kids and one for public school kids.
“The home schooled book group will try to focus on classic children’s literature, both modern and past, such as Sara Plain and Tall, or books by Beverly Cleary,” said Monica Sands, the children’s librarian for Covington and Black Diamond Libraries. “I’m shooting for reading books we have extra copies of, and books that are also on audio tape, so kids who are struggling readers can listen to them with their families.”
Randy Barthelman, the librarian who moderates the lone mens group, said his group doesn’t just read the books people think are typically macho, like thrillers or westerns. “Last month we read “The Prince of Tides” by Pat Conroy, and we’ve read “Another Roadside Attraction” by Tom Robbins and “The Electric Universe” by David Bodanis,” he said. “I’ve had women come to me and tell me that the book we’re reading is more interesting than the one they’re reading for their book group.”
A member of the Maple Valley Library Men’s Book Group. Bill Clausmeyer, said he’s been with that group for several years.
“I was adjusting to being an empty nester, my wife’s disabled so couples activities are out, and I was looking for a selfish interest that wouldn’t take too much time,” he said. “I’ve always supported the library and believe everyone would benefit from spending more tme with a good book, plus the opportunity for intelligent discussion was appealing as well. I saw an ad in the paper for this group and the rest, as they say, is history.”
Barbara Newman is a long-term member of the Covi Book Group. She joined, she says, because two of her best friends encouraged her to join, and as retired teachers and school librarians, they all like to discuss books. “What I like about Sandy's group is the care and intelligence with which she chooses the books for us to read and then leads the discussion when we meet,” Newman said. “Sandy researches each author extremely well and shares tons of information with us. She often ties in her book selection with an author that is appearing at the Seattle Arts and Lecture series, and sometimes with a play or movie that will be staged or released soon.”
Librarian Sandy Dehmer notes that she chooses mostly classic books for her group and then pairs them with a modern literary fiction work that sparks discussion among group members.
“I feel these pairings, like “Lolita” with “Reading Lolita in Tehran” or “Little Women” matched with “March” (which is about Louisa May Alcott’s father) stimulates debate and discussion about style and plot and general things that are thought-provoaking.”
Nancy Jane concurs, “I enjoy our monthly book club meetings with the Covington Library book group. The discussions bring out points that might have been missed or looked at from another angle. I could go on and on but suffice to say it is very enjoyable and we have a wonderful group of ladies, very rarely a man will attend.”
Nancy Grove has been attending the Tuesday evening book group at Maple Valley library for the past 6 years, mainly for the social interaction.
“I wanted to see and speak to other beings besides my dogs,” she said. “I love to read, but I’m a non fiction reader, mostly, so this book group helps me jump into books I wouldn’t read normally, like Alexander McCall Smith’s books about the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency. I really enjoyed those.”
Librarian Ann Erdmann said that having a small group of fewer than 10 women, like her Tuesday evening group at Maple Valley, helps keep things interesting.
“Mine is a very eclectic group with lots of strong personalities, which is what makes it fun,” she said. “We’ll tackle any genre that we all want to read, and we’re so comfortable with one another, the informal environment makes it easy to have good discussions.”
Stacey O’Shea, the library assistant who runs the Between the Covers group agrees. “If we’re reading a book that has a historical aspect, there’s always a lot of laughing and personal stories that are told during the book discussion,” she said. “The readers tell what they remember about that era and a lot of history is relived in the free-flowing discussions.”
Darlene Stump has been involved in the Maple Valley library book group for years, in addition to book groups she hosts at her home.
“In a book group you have an arena for discussion among like people,” she said. “I really like the free interchange of thoughts and ideas and being around interesting people. For me it was a real lifesaver.”
Book Groups Sidebar
Maple Valley Library Book Groups:
Between the Covers
Adult women
Meets at10 am on the 2nd Wednesday of the month all year
Moderated by Stacey O’Shea, library technical assistant
Located at Maple Valley Library, 21844 SE 248th St, Maple Valley
Phone 425-432-4620 for more information.
Tuesday Evening Book Group
Adult women (though both genders are welcome)
Meets at 7 pm on the 2nd Tuesday of the month all year
Moderated by Ann Erdmann, librarian
Located at Maple Valley Library, 21844 SE 248th St, Maple Valley
Phone 425-432-4620 for more information.
Men’s Book Group
Adult men
Meets at 6:30 pm on the last Wednesday of the month all year
Moderated by Randy Barthelman, librarian
Located at Maple Valley Library, 21844 SE 248th St, Maple Valley
Phone 425-432-4620 for more information
Teen Book Group
Teenagers from middle school through high school
Meets at 4 pm on the 2nd Thursday of the month all year
Moderated by Katie Boyes, teen librarian
Located at Maple Valley Library, 21844 SE 248th St, Maple Valley
Phone 425-432-4620 for more information
Covington Library Book Group
Covi Book Group
Adults of both genders
Meets at 2 pm on the 2nd Thursday of the month all year
Moderated by Sandy Dehmer, librarian
Located at Maple Valley Library until January 2008, then will meet at the Covington Library.
Located at Maple Valley Library, 21844 SE 248th St, Maple Valley
Phone 253-630-8761 for more information
Fairwood Library Book Groups
Lively Minds Book Group
Adults of both genders
Meets at 7:30 pm the 3rd Tuesday of the month, September through June.
Moderated by Rosalie Olds, librarian
Located at Fairwood Library, 17009 140th Ave SE, Renton
Phone 425-226-0522 for more information
Fairwood Afternoon Book Group
Adults of both genders
Meets at 11:30 am on the 2nd Wednesday of the month all year
Moderated by Samantha Everett, librarian
Located at Fairwood Library, 17009 140th Ave SE, Renton
Phone 425-226-0522 for more information
Books and Bites for Teens
Teenagers age 12-18
Meets at 7 pm on the 2nd Thursday of the month, September through June
Moderated by Rosalie Olds, librarian
Located at Fairwood Library, 17009 140th Ave SE, Renton
Phone 425-226-0522 for more information
Auburn Library Book Group
Auburn Library Book Group
Adults of both genders
Meets at 7pm on the 2nd Tuesday of the month all year
Moderated by Jeff Kempe, librarian
Located at Auburn Library, 1102 Auburn Way South, Auburn
Phone 253-931-3018 for more information.
Black Diamond Book Groups
Lunchtime Book Group
School Age children who are home schooled and their families
Meets at 12:30 pm on the 3rd Tuesday of the month, starting this October
Moderated by Monica Sands, children’s librarian
Located at Black Diamond Library, 24301 Roberts Drive, Black Diamond
Phone 360-886-1105 for more information.
Black Diamond After School Kids Book Group
School age children in grades 3-5 enrolled in public schools
Meets at 4 pm, the 4th Tuesday of the month, starting this October
Moderated by Monica Sands, children’s librarian
Located at Black Diamond Library, 24301 Roberts Drive, Black Diamond
Phone 360-886-1105 for more information.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Health Clubs in Maple Valley
A Handful of Health Clubs
By DeAnn Rossetti
Now that winter’s cool temps have arrived, rain is going to drive many a fitness fanatic indoors, to warm, dry environs for a daily workout.
Maple Valley has a variety of health and fitness clubs to choose from, each offering a unique program, specialty class or equipment that’s sure to meet the needs of local health-seekers.
In Maple Valley:
Work It Out Women’s Fitness
23745 225th Way S.E., suite 213
Janice Zander was an enthusiastic Pilates instructor at a small health Club called Slim and Tone. Her class inspired Carol Kaylor to become a Pilates instructor as well, and the two were part of a group of women who enjoyed working out together so much, they asked Zander to open a club when Slim and Tone went out of business. Zander’s husband encouraged her to ask these women to invest in a Limited Liability Corporation, and after securing funding from them and adding their own savings, Kaylor and Zander opened Work It Out 14 months ago. The duo renovated and expanded the Slim and Tone space to 3,300 square feet, added the latest strength training and cardio fitness machines, a massage room and two tanning booths, and were ready for business.
“I asked Carol if she would be my business partner in June, 2004, and by July 2004, we opened,” said Zander. “We worked really hard to pull this place together in 4 weeks.”
The duo beefed up the class schedule with 27 different workouts, from endurance and strength training to yoga, Pilates, salsa, kickboxing and a jump-rope class called “pump and jump.”
There’s also a fitness “Boot Camp” for men and a “Boot Camp” for women that meets for four weeks in various outdoor locations, and provides fitness instruction, nutritional education, team motivation and before and after body fat assessments.
“I felt there was a need for a safe, clean place for women to work out that was non-judgmental,” said Zander. “When women walk in here, they know it’s a comfortable, warm and friendly atmosphere, where they can work out, have a cup of coffee and chat,” adds Kaylor. “It’s not just a gym, it’s a support group, a gathering place for women to come and get healthy.”
The club offers supervised childcare for members who are also busy moms.
Work It Out’s 300 plus members range in age from pre-teens to grandmothers, and Kaylor and Zander say they get the greatest satisfaction from watching women get healthy and fit and develop lasting friendships.
“Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t say ‘Thank you for opening this club, I’ve lost 100 pounds,’ or ‘It’s such a positive, clean and healthy place, I love coming here,’” said Kaylor. “This is our life now--it’s great to have a job that is so rewarding.”
Work It Out Fitness is open Monday through Thursday from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Memberships are $25 a month per person. Childcare is $2 per hour. Contact 425-432-9311 for more information.
Maple Valley Fitness, 23770 Witte Rd. S.E., suite 302
Maple Valley fitness opened in 1997.
“Our kids were going to school in the area, and we thought the area could really use a club with lots of nice equipment at a very inexpensive price,” said Robert Lineberger, Owner, Maple Valley Fitness “We have over 35 pieces of cardio including treadmills, elliptical machines, bikes and stair-steppers, and two full lines of life fitness strength training equipment.” The 5, 600 square feet facility also sports a free weight area with over 20 pieces of equipment, including Hammer Strength and a full set of dumbbells and barbells. The facility also has 3 tanning beds and a child care facility.
Though Maple Valley Fitness has no work out classes, they do offer personal training and individualized instruction.
“The club was just recently renovated with approximately $150,000 worth of new equipment, and within the next 30 days we will be adding personal LCD screens for our cardio equipment, said Lineberger. “The back to school season is one of the best times to get into a fitness routine, and what makes (us) unique is that you get the absolute best equipment in the industry for the best price probably anywhere in the United States.”
Maple Valley Fitness hours are Monday through Thursday 4:45 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 4:45 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Memberships cost anywhere from 5$ through 19$ per month and the club is always running discounts for new members. This month’s
special are dues as low as 9 dollars per month, including $50 worth of free babysitting. Contact 425-432-6110 for more information.
Tahoma Athletic Club
The Tahoma Athletic Club opened in late November of 2007 at 23836 222nd Place SE in the Maple Valley Town Center just adjacent to the Lake Wilderness QFC.
Owned by Jim Flynn, Jimmy Kossert and Becky Duty, the club was built by Flynn and managed by Duty, with funding from Kossert. “Jimmy is serious about his exercise routine and having a personal trainer, but he couldn’t find what he needed in Maple Valley,” said Flynn. “That was the spark that got us going.” Kossert talked to Flynn, a Maple Valley native and city councilman, whose family owned land in the Lake Wilderness shopping area, and Flynn, who knew Duty because their kids go to high school together, decided to create the 9,300 square foot facility last spring. The building will has 3 businesses on the ground floor, while the entire top floor houses the health and fitness club.
“A lot of residents give the excuse of having to drive too far for not going to the gym,” said Duty. “We’re taking that excuse away by offering a full service fitness club with state of the art cardio and weight equipment right here. The 34 cardio machines in the club have built-in television screens and aromatherapy fans to engage the club member’s other senses while they work out. There are over 50 pieces of weight equipment, three tanning rooms, men’s and women’s locker rooms and showers, child care and kids fitness area, classes and towel service. There is a slate entryway with a waterfall and the club used soothing earth tones as their color scheme.
“We are an upscale operation, but moderately priced,” said Duty. “Since all the owners are local and we all have kids here, we’re a homegrown operation, and we want to be there for the whole family, and be able to give back to the community.”
The owners of the TAC won’t release their fee structure, other than to say they have a month to month or yearly options.
Contact 206-909-0912 for more information.
By DeAnn Rossetti
Now that winter’s cool temps have arrived, rain is going to drive many a fitness fanatic indoors, to warm, dry environs for a daily workout.
Maple Valley has a variety of health and fitness clubs to choose from, each offering a unique program, specialty class or equipment that’s sure to meet the needs of local health-seekers.
In Maple Valley:
Work It Out Women’s Fitness
23745 225th Way S.E., suite 213
Janice Zander was an enthusiastic Pilates instructor at a small health Club called Slim and Tone. Her class inspired Carol Kaylor to become a Pilates instructor as well, and the two were part of a group of women who enjoyed working out together so much, they asked Zander to open a club when Slim and Tone went out of business. Zander’s husband encouraged her to ask these women to invest in a Limited Liability Corporation, and after securing funding from them and adding their own savings, Kaylor and Zander opened Work It Out 14 months ago. The duo renovated and expanded the Slim and Tone space to 3,300 square feet, added the latest strength training and cardio fitness machines, a massage room and two tanning booths, and were ready for business.
“I asked Carol if she would be my business partner in June, 2004, and by July 2004, we opened,” said Zander. “We worked really hard to pull this place together in 4 weeks.”
The duo beefed up the class schedule with 27 different workouts, from endurance and strength training to yoga, Pilates, salsa, kickboxing and a jump-rope class called “pump and jump.”
There’s also a fitness “Boot Camp” for men and a “Boot Camp” for women that meets for four weeks in various outdoor locations, and provides fitness instruction, nutritional education, team motivation and before and after body fat assessments.
“I felt there was a need for a safe, clean place for women to work out that was non-judgmental,” said Zander. “When women walk in here, they know it’s a comfortable, warm and friendly atmosphere, where they can work out, have a cup of coffee and chat,” adds Kaylor. “It’s not just a gym, it’s a support group, a gathering place for women to come and get healthy.”
The club offers supervised childcare for members who are also busy moms.
Work It Out’s 300 plus members range in age from pre-teens to grandmothers, and Kaylor and Zander say they get the greatest satisfaction from watching women get healthy and fit and develop lasting friendships.
“Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t say ‘Thank you for opening this club, I’ve lost 100 pounds,’ or ‘It’s such a positive, clean and healthy place, I love coming here,’” said Kaylor. “This is our life now--it’s great to have a job that is so rewarding.”
Work It Out Fitness is open Monday through Thursday from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Memberships are $25 a month per person. Childcare is $2 per hour. Contact 425-432-9311 for more information.
Maple Valley Fitness, 23770 Witte Rd. S.E., suite 302
Maple Valley fitness opened in 1997.
“Our kids were going to school in the area, and we thought the area could really use a club with lots of nice equipment at a very inexpensive price,” said Robert Lineberger, Owner, Maple Valley Fitness “We have over 35 pieces of cardio including treadmills, elliptical machines, bikes and stair-steppers, and two full lines of life fitness strength training equipment.” The 5, 600 square feet facility also sports a free weight area with over 20 pieces of equipment, including Hammer Strength and a full set of dumbbells and barbells. The facility also has 3 tanning beds and a child care facility.
Though Maple Valley Fitness has no work out classes, they do offer personal training and individualized instruction.
“The club was just recently renovated with approximately $150,000 worth of new equipment, and within the next 30 days we will be adding personal LCD screens for our cardio equipment, said Lineberger. “The back to school season is one of the best times to get into a fitness routine, and what makes (us) unique is that you get the absolute best equipment in the industry for the best price probably anywhere in the United States.”
Maple Valley Fitness hours are Monday through Thursday 4:45 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 4:45 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Memberships cost anywhere from 5$ through 19$ per month and the club is always running discounts for new members. This month’s
special are dues as low as 9 dollars per month, including $50 worth of free babysitting. Contact 425-432-6110 for more information.
Tahoma Athletic Club
The Tahoma Athletic Club opened in late November of 2007 at 23836 222nd Place SE in the Maple Valley Town Center just adjacent to the Lake Wilderness QFC.
Owned by Jim Flynn, Jimmy Kossert and Becky Duty, the club was built by Flynn and managed by Duty, with funding from Kossert. “Jimmy is serious about his exercise routine and having a personal trainer, but he couldn’t find what he needed in Maple Valley,” said Flynn. “That was the spark that got us going.” Kossert talked to Flynn, a Maple Valley native and city councilman, whose family owned land in the Lake Wilderness shopping area, and Flynn, who knew Duty because their kids go to high school together, decided to create the 9,300 square foot facility last spring. The building will has 3 businesses on the ground floor, while the entire top floor houses the health and fitness club.
“A lot of residents give the excuse of having to drive too far for not going to the gym,” said Duty. “We’re taking that excuse away by offering a full service fitness club with state of the art cardio and weight equipment right here. The 34 cardio machines in the club have built-in television screens and aromatherapy fans to engage the club member’s other senses while they work out. There are over 50 pieces of weight equipment, three tanning rooms, men’s and women’s locker rooms and showers, child care and kids fitness area, classes and towel service. There is a slate entryway with a waterfall and the club used soothing earth tones as their color scheme.
“We are an upscale operation, but moderately priced,” said Duty. “Since all the owners are local and we all have kids here, we’re a homegrown operation, and we want to be there for the whole family, and be able to give back to the community.”
The owners of the TAC won’t release their fee structure, other than to say they have a month to month or yearly options.
Contact 206-909-0912 for more information.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Soup Ladies
The Soup Ladies of Maple Valley: Nourishment from the Heart
By DeAnn Rossetti
For Ginger Passarelli, it was a natural extension of what she’d been doing with her soup lunches at Real Life Church for the past 7 years. Feeding people is her life’s work.
For Diane Tate, it was finding that her purpose in life was to feed people while hearing their stories and enjoying their fellowship.
For Laura Russell, it was the chance to give something back in a hands-on manner, and helping the public see their donations at work.
That’s what lead these three wives and mothers, collectively know as The Soup Ladies of Maple Valley, to grab their stockpots and their gear and hightail it down to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to feed rescue workers and homeless residents devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
From September 27 through October 5, the Soup Ladies ladled out hundreds of gallons of their beef stroganoff soup, beef enchilada soup and white chicken chili to roughly a thousand people a day. Using supplies they’d brought with them and whatever donated food was at hand, the Soup Ladies managed to serve breakfast, lunch and supper from 6 am to 9 p.m. every day. They discovered, on arrival, that things in Baton Rouge were already well in hand, and that their soup and caring attitude was needed in a town called Pass Christian, three hours south in Mississippi.
“It was no accident that we were sent there,” said Passarelli. “The morning after we arrived, the man who was running the mobile kitchen went into the hospital, and we had to get the kitchen organized, up and running before breakfast.”
Diane and Ginger were busy getting the food together, but paused long enough to watch Laura, a new recruit, working through what they considered a “trial by fire” for christening a new soup lady.
“Things were flying everywhere,” said Diane. “We stood back and watched Laura hauling things here, telling people to put things back over there, it was like a symphony, and through it all, she was so kind she brought people a lot of joy.”
“I have them fooled into thinking it was hard work,” laughed Laura. “The truth is, I don’t really know how to cook!”
“But you know how to boss people around and get things done, which is essential to being a soup lady,” adds Ginger, with a knowing smile.
Ginger Passarelli founded the Soup Ladies of Maple Valley after the windstorm of December 4, 2003, when a group of workers from her Real Life Church and a group from the New Community Church were slated for several days of community clean up.
“The two pastors asked if I’d feed workers like I’d been feeding people for breakfast and lunch at my church,” said Ginger. “We made 70 gallons of soup, had bread and ice cream, and it was such fun, I said to Diane that we could take this show on the road and do big things…we could become Maple Valley’s soup ladies.”
Diane, who attends New Community Church, said she felt she wouldn’t be helpful in clearing debris or fixing yards or homes, so when she was given Ginger’s phone number, she jumped at the chance to help using skills she did have.
“I showed up and started crying, seeing how she was feeding the volunteers and how everything was put together, because I knew this was something I could do,” said Diane. “I had been looking for my purpose in life, and when I saw the smiles on workers faces and them enjoying that meal, it all fell into place for me.”
When New Life Church asked for volunteers to help relief workers after Hurricane Katrina, Ginger asked Diane to gather anyone else who might want to go and meet her at the airport. Diane immediately thought of her fellow New Community Church committee member, Laura, and asked her along on the mission.
“I wanted to do something for the hurricane victims that was more tangible and hands-on than sending money, which we’d already done,” said Laura. “I knew people wanted to see their donations at work, and my heart was ready for something big. So when Diane called, I said ‘I’ll even drive!’”
The Soup Ladies were less astonished by the havoc wrought by the hurricane than by the generosity of the Pass Christian denizens. “One guy was walking around the food tent saying ‘I have unlimited minutes on my cell phone, and you can make a call anywhere you want,’ to people eating dinner, and you could tell it was all he had to offer, but he was going to give what little he had,” said Ginger. “Everyone wanted to give something back to us, whether it was construction workers putting running water in the kitchen or people bringing in extra meat. I said once that I’d kill for a Diet Coke and this gal who had asked if she could help us brought me a whole six-pack!”
“What’s really cool is that people have continued to give refrigerators, generators, all kinds of things to the site, and now it’s huge,” said Diane. “We had lots of people telling us that they had neighbors or people they hardly knew living with them because the (Government) was closing the shelters and there were so many left homeless.”
“I expected angry, grieving people,” said Laura. “Though people were mourning the loss of friends, relatives and homes, they were always sweet to us, saying thank you, and intent on giving back, bringing us blankets and sweats to keep us warm at night and helping others any way they could.”
Their last night in Pass Christian, The Soup Ladies made Caesar salad and peach cobbler to go with their popular beef stroganoff soup, and some of those partaking of the feast were moved to tears by the meal. For some of the hurricane survivors, it was the first three-course meal and warm dessert they’d had since the storm washed away their homes.
“People thankful and considerate because they were grateful to be alive,” said Laura. “They’d seen so many neighbors, relatives and friends not make it. They knew we’d come a long way to be help them, and it could have ended there, but they wanted us to know they were grateful for our care of them.”
The Soup Ladies will be returning to Pass Christian for Thanksgiving week, and have already shipped ahead boxes of holiday decorations, non-perishable food and clothing for those in need. Though all three have busy lives here—Ginger owns Mama Passarelli’s Dinner House, Laura and Diane are stay-at-home moms and heavily involved in community and church outreach activities—they have already made overtures to the local police and fire departments to let them know they can have a mobile kitchen up and running in 6 hours or less, in case of local disaster.
“We were trained there for a purpose,” said Ginger. “We came back more determined than ever to do something about disaster preparedness for the West Coast.”
They’ve opened up a web site, www.thesoupladiesofmaplevalley.com, where they plan on serving up recipes for their famed soups, sending out a call for more “soup mamas” to start serving soup in their own churches or communities, and to solicit funds to purchase equipment for their disaster relief emergency mobile soup kitchen.
“Wouldn’t it be great if we inspired soup ladies all over the world?” mused Ginger. “Making soup is just a vehicle to get people to sit down and talk, and when people talk, they build families, and families build communities, and strong communities make a strong nation.”
By DeAnn Rossetti
For Ginger Passarelli, it was a natural extension of what she’d been doing with her soup lunches at Real Life Church for the past 7 years. Feeding people is her life’s work.
For Diane Tate, it was finding that her purpose in life was to feed people while hearing their stories and enjoying their fellowship.
For Laura Russell, it was the chance to give something back in a hands-on manner, and helping the public see their donations at work.
That’s what lead these three wives and mothers, collectively know as The Soup Ladies of Maple Valley, to grab their stockpots and their gear and hightail it down to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to feed rescue workers and homeless residents devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
From September 27 through October 5, the Soup Ladies ladled out hundreds of gallons of their beef stroganoff soup, beef enchilada soup and white chicken chili to roughly a thousand people a day. Using supplies they’d brought with them and whatever donated food was at hand, the Soup Ladies managed to serve breakfast, lunch and supper from 6 am to 9 p.m. every day. They discovered, on arrival, that things in Baton Rouge were already well in hand, and that their soup and caring attitude was needed in a town called Pass Christian, three hours south in Mississippi.
“It was no accident that we were sent there,” said Passarelli. “The morning after we arrived, the man who was running the mobile kitchen went into the hospital, and we had to get the kitchen organized, up and running before breakfast.”
Diane and Ginger were busy getting the food together, but paused long enough to watch Laura, a new recruit, working through what they considered a “trial by fire” for christening a new soup lady.
“Things were flying everywhere,” said Diane. “We stood back and watched Laura hauling things here, telling people to put things back over there, it was like a symphony, and through it all, she was so kind she brought people a lot of joy.”
“I have them fooled into thinking it was hard work,” laughed Laura. “The truth is, I don’t really know how to cook!”
“But you know how to boss people around and get things done, which is essential to being a soup lady,” adds Ginger, with a knowing smile.
Ginger Passarelli founded the Soup Ladies of Maple Valley after the windstorm of December 4, 2003, when a group of workers from her Real Life Church and a group from the New Community Church were slated for several days of community clean up.
“The two pastors asked if I’d feed workers like I’d been feeding people for breakfast and lunch at my church,” said Ginger. “We made 70 gallons of soup, had bread and ice cream, and it was such fun, I said to Diane that we could take this show on the road and do big things…we could become Maple Valley’s soup ladies.”
Diane, who attends New Community Church, said she felt she wouldn’t be helpful in clearing debris or fixing yards or homes, so when she was given Ginger’s phone number, she jumped at the chance to help using skills she did have.
“I showed up and started crying, seeing how she was feeding the volunteers and how everything was put together, because I knew this was something I could do,” said Diane. “I had been looking for my purpose in life, and when I saw the smiles on workers faces and them enjoying that meal, it all fell into place for me.”
When New Life Church asked for volunteers to help relief workers after Hurricane Katrina, Ginger asked Diane to gather anyone else who might want to go and meet her at the airport. Diane immediately thought of her fellow New Community Church committee member, Laura, and asked her along on the mission.
“I wanted to do something for the hurricane victims that was more tangible and hands-on than sending money, which we’d already done,” said Laura. “I knew people wanted to see their donations at work, and my heart was ready for something big. So when Diane called, I said ‘I’ll even drive!’”
The Soup Ladies were less astonished by the havoc wrought by the hurricane than by the generosity of the Pass Christian denizens. “One guy was walking around the food tent saying ‘I have unlimited minutes on my cell phone, and you can make a call anywhere you want,’ to people eating dinner, and you could tell it was all he had to offer, but he was going to give what little he had,” said Ginger. “Everyone wanted to give something back to us, whether it was construction workers putting running water in the kitchen or people bringing in extra meat. I said once that I’d kill for a Diet Coke and this gal who had asked if she could help us brought me a whole six-pack!”
“What’s really cool is that people have continued to give refrigerators, generators, all kinds of things to the site, and now it’s huge,” said Diane. “We had lots of people telling us that they had neighbors or people they hardly knew living with them because the (Government) was closing the shelters and there were so many left homeless.”
“I expected angry, grieving people,” said Laura. “Though people were mourning the loss of friends, relatives and homes, they were always sweet to us, saying thank you, and intent on giving back, bringing us blankets and sweats to keep us warm at night and helping others any way they could.”
Their last night in Pass Christian, The Soup Ladies made Caesar salad and peach cobbler to go with their popular beef stroganoff soup, and some of those partaking of the feast were moved to tears by the meal. For some of the hurricane survivors, it was the first three-course meal and warm dessert they’d had since the storm washed away their homes.
“People thankful and considerate because they were grateful to be alive,” said Laura. “They’d seen so many neighbors, relatives and friends not make it. They knew we’d come a long way to be help them, and it could have ended there, but they wanted us to know they were grateful for our care of them.”
The Soup Ladies will be returning to Pass Christian for Thanksgiving week, and have already shipped ahead boxes of holiday decorations, non-perishable food and clothing for those in need. Though all three have busy lives here—Ginger owns Mama Passarelli’s Dinner House, Laura and Diane are stay-at-home moms and heavily involved in community and church outreach activities—they have already made overtures to the local police and fire departments to let them know they can have a mobile kitchen up and running in 6 hours or less, in case of local disaster.
“We were trained there for a purpose,” said Ginger. “We came back more determined than ever to do something about disaster preparedness for the West Coast.”
They’ve opened up a web site, www.thesoupladiesofmaplevalley.com, where they plan on serving up recipes for their famed soups, sending out a call for more “soup mamas” to start serving soup in their own churches or communities, and to solicit funds to purchase equipment for their disaster relief emergency mobile soup kitchen.
“Wouldn’t it be great if we inspired soup ladies all over the world?” mused Ginger. “Making soup is just a vehicle to get people to sit down and talk, and when people talk, they build families, and families build communities, and strong communities make a strong nation.”
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
