HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Every Sunday, hundreds of people come to United Methodist Church in Hyde Park for a warm meal.
For many of them, the best part is the soup of the day and every cup is donated by The Stone Soup Company in Ybor City.
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Nothing goes to waste in this kitchen, all the extra edibles that are left over go back into soup.
“So, it’s what ingredients we have, so if we have too much pasta, we are going to put pasta in it, it might be rice, it might be extra chicken, so it kind of changes by the week,” said owner Ilya Goldberg.
Every week, the Stone Soup Company tries to measure how many cups of soup they served, and then they try to match that number in donations to our homeless population.
Like clockwork, Harrell Warren picks up the soup and takes it to Hyde Park United Methodist Church.
“They may not have eaten the night before, they’re hungry, they’re able to have the soup in cold weather, it warms them up, it has a variety of ingredients that is healthful for them,” said Warren.
Goldberg has been donating soup since he first opened 10 years ago.
“We probably give away about 10 to 20 gallons per week,” said Goldberg. “Over the history of the 10 years we are probably about 86,000 cups of soup.”
Goldberg takes great pride in his menu and said everyone, no matter what financial situation, should be able to enjoy a delicious cup of soup.
“You know giving them dignity, and make them feel like they are getting a real meal,” said Goldberg.
Loyal customers also know that every cup they order means one more will also be donated to someone in need.
“Over the years customers always ask, ‘What can I do to help? Can I come back there and help you cook?’’’ said Goldberg. “They like it so much that we do this.”
