Empowering Communities
Food Assistance Program
Our mission is simple:
To nurture and nourish communities impacted by food insecurity with wholesome and delicious soup.
Soup Sisters is more than just a warm meal; it's a hug in a bowl, offering comfort and nourishment to those in need. With support from businesses and donors nationwide, we provide highly nourishing, quality soups through our food assistance programs to agencies, schools, and shelters. What started as a desire to help has blossomed into a national charity, bringing the universal comfort of soup to communities facing food insecurity. By partnering with organizations on the front lines, we help agencies spark conversations and connect people to essential resources.
Proud Champions of:
Our History
Founded in Calgary on March 3, 2009, Soup Sisters embodies the vision of Founder Sharon Hapton, a lifelong soup enthusiast. Inspired by her belief in the healing power of homemade soup, Sharon established Soup Sisters as a grassroots movement to support women and children fleeing family violence and youth in crisis. Over the past fifteen years, the organization has expanded to 27 cities across Canada. Our programming started by engaging local volunteers at soup-making events, and with the support of local donors, we provided Hugs in a Bowl to emergency shelters.
When the pandemic shuttered the in-person events, we adapted swiftly, leading to the creation of Canada’s only Soup Bank, a social enterprise model that produces and distributes soups on a large scale. This efficient approach ensures stable food costs and maximum impact for front-line organizations serving food-insecure communities across the country. The efficiency of the Soup Bank model allowed us to expand our agency partners to include marginalized seniors, transitional housing for the homeless, low-income schools, First Nations communities, centers for drug addiction and mental health, and food banks.
Our Founder
Sharon Hapton, a successful Calgary-based businesswoman and mother of two, is the founder and CEO of Soup Sisters. In 2008-2009, leading up to her 50th birthday, Sharon channeled her belief in the healing power of homemade soup into founding Soup Sisters, a grassroots organization. Recognized nationally and regionally for her work, Sharon has led the movement that has delivered over 4 million 'Hugs in a Bowl' to families and individuals in crisis. She has received numerous accolades, including being named one of Chatelaine's and CityTV's Women of the Year and receiving the Meritorious Service Medal from the Governor General of Canada in 2016.
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“I am a soup maker. I have cared for family and friends with soup for most of my adult life. If someone was down or needed some extra care, I would show up at their door, most often unannounced and with soup. I knew that this simple gesture had the power to change their day, and in the process of making it, I was letting them know how much I cared.
The whole exchange – the soup-making, the visit, the comfort it provided and the appreciation it returned – created a fulfilling cycle of giving. Here is the recipe for Soup Sisters. All it took was for me to realize that I didn’t need to look beyond my truest self and that what I was looking for had always been inside me, just waiting to be recognized. After all, I am, and always have been, a soup maker.”
In the News
Accolades:
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Accreditation from Community Food Centres Canada as a Good Food Organization (2023)
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Restaurants Canada Social Advocate Award of Excellence (2023)
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Member of the Famous Five Foundation and 100 Women Who Care
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YWCA - She Who Dares Honouring 150 Women through 150+ years (2017)
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Governor General of Canada Meritorious Service Medal (2016)
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CTV Inspiring Albertan (2015)
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Women of Influence Magazine (2014)
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Bestselling Soup Sisters Cookbook released by Random House (2012)
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One of Chatelaine’s and CityTV’s Women of the Year (2011)