Yesterday while I was enjoying my usual morning routine…AR and coffee…I came across a blog by Sharlene Hensrud of St. Louis Park , Minnesota. She had given a recipe for Panera’s baked potato soup…..creamy cheddar cheese, bacon bits…the imagined aroma wafted thru my mind all day. Work…soup…..appointment…still not able to erase the taste from my brain….so on the way home from our listing appointment, we stopped at Aldis….which has become an addiction that a Doctor client of ours had introduced my husband to a couple years ago. 
It has become an obsession of how many bags he can fill for $X. Baking potatoes, sour cream, cheese, bacon…..and on to the fresh vegetable aisle to grab the bunch of onions for the garnish….and piled high were bags of burger and hot dog buns for next to nothing…we had just been to the Waukesha Womens’ Center the day before and knew that the shelter was experiencing shortages in every area. We ran to the checkout and asked if there was a limit as to how many bags of buns you could buy….We explained we were going to take them to the shelter….”Take them all !” the manager said. We filled an entire shopping cart….and then some with 72 bags of buns and then some sloppy joe fixings and hot dogs to fill them. We were thrilled at our good fortune…and the fortune that the women and children at the shelter would experience with our Bun-nanza of Value !
It all started with Active Rain…..a blog from Minnesota that ended up feeding hundreds in Wisconsin…..Thank you Sharlene….it was a great recipe….we did make it tonite and enjoyed it a great deal….but the really great deal was being in the right place as the right time…and being able to give back. You can do this too…we left our business card at the store and the next time they have large quantities of food that they are going to sell quickly…they are going to call us first.
Do you have a store near your home or office where you could help the local shelter or food pantry by taking a few minutes to give back ? It’s a souper feeling that warms you all over.
Active Rain isn't just food for thought...it fed a whole shelter of women and children !
Active Rain is Just Souper !
Sally K. & David L. Hanson, ABR, CDPE, CSS, e-Pro,ILHM, REDS
Hi Sally:
I'll head over and check out the recipe.
We just dropped off a bunch of things yesterday and yes, it made us feel souper!
There is nothing more heart warming than knowing that something you did warmed the hearts, souls, bodies of others at a time they needed it most.
What a wonderful inspiration to all of us to keep our eyes open for ways to help our fellow man.
God bless you both.
Thanks for sharing. We all need to focus on the needs of others during the Thanksgiving season. Our office is having a food drive. Enjoy the holidays!
Thank you Dick and Dixie...it isn't hard to think a tiny bit outside the "grocery cart"....You bet Roy....tiz the season...and unfortunately, hunger doesn't know one...hope your food drive goes "over the top" !
There is no better feeling than that warm happy feeling you get from helping others! A job well done! The soup does sound wonderful, thanks...I hadn't seen the original post with the recipe! See you helped me too!
How hard is it to take 30 extra seconds the next time you go to the store and leave your cards for the "leftovers" that might otherwise be disgarded....you bet Sharon...the soup is great too !
Thank you for the honor of being your inspiration (glad you enjoyed the soup)...what a wonderful example to all of us! I donate a portion of every transaction to Habitat for Humanity, but this is so much more immediate...thank you for being MY inspiration!
You are welcome Sharlene...and it's easy....you are at the store for soup fixins anyway....why not see who else can benefit from a few extra minutes...stay warm...I used to student teach in St. Paul Park about a hundred years ago....hope summer comes on a weekend next year...enjoy !
Sally, good for you guys ! Giving Back is so important! I completely agree...and the soup sounds divine too!!
Find a store in Waukesha and ask to have your card posted....leftover whatever works !
Soup is good food, in more ways than one.