Fairmont families spend Thanksgiving Day helping others at nonprofit Soup Opera

Nov. 29—FAIRMONT — Joy has returned to the kitchen at Soup Opera.

A year after a water pipe burst and caused thousands of dollars in damage and put their annual Thanksgiving Day meal in jeopardy in 2023, volunteers returned to the kitchen Thursday to prepare a meal for those who live on the edge of food insecurity.

“We’re supposed to help the homeless, the widow, the fatherless, we’re here to help our community, to be a blessing to our community. That’s what the word of God tells us to do. We’re to be His hands and His feet,” Damitra Janes, 54, of Fairmont, said, who was among a group of 25 volunteers from Fairmont church, Agape Life Ministries, helping on Thanksgiving Day.

She said last year’s Thanksgiving Day meal was saved with the gracious help of St. Peter the Fisherman Catholic Church across Jackson Street from Soup Opera. The church opened up its fellowship hall to Soup Opera volunteers and hosted the annual community gathering and meal.

For Jones, Thanksgiving Day is just that — a time to reflect and be thankful for what we have.

“Being thankful, just being thankful to have what we have, the opportunities we have,” Jones said.” You know we don’t have to worry where we’re going to get our next meal. You know, we don’t have the issues that other countries may have. We’re kind of spoiled.”

Jones’ duties on Thursday were much like that a project manager — do whatever it takes to ensure the Thanksgiving meal was served to all who need it and the space was clean after the gathering.

“We just divvy up the duties. We have a team,” she said. “We usually have a team that comes to cook, and we have a team that comes to serve, and then we have a cleanup committee at the end. So that’s what we kind of do.”

Savannah Vincent and her husband Chris Vincent brought three of their sons ages 9, 10 and 14 with them to help serve meals at Soup Opera on Thursday while they took time out of running their White Hall restaurant, Sunnyvale Bar and Grill. They sought to teach their children the value of community and serving others who are less fortunate.

“Some of my family members did this when I was younger. I also did this when I was younger,” Savannah Vincent said. “So as an adult, I think it’s good for my kids to help their community as much as they can. I love helping my community, so it’s just something very good to instill in your kids.”

Like the Vincents, Felecia Jones, of Fairmont, brought her six-year-old son, John Dennis Washington III, with her Thursday with the goal of teaching him about service to others and the community.

“I thought it would be a good idea to come and give back and to volunteer our time, you know, just to instill the importance of giving back and being thankful and grateful for what we have,” Felecia Jones said.

Jones said teaching thankfulness to children can be challenging, especially in a nation where abundance is seemingly everywhere.

“A lot of times they’re just used to being able to, you know, have everything at their at their fingertips, and so with him, I thought it was really important for him to get to see that there are other people who don’t have as much as we have, and it is important to be thankful and be grateful for that, you know,” she said. “So I thought it would be a good idea to help, you know, come down here and serve, and he can kind of meet people and talk with people, and, you know, just give back.”

Chris Vincent said he has worked so hard in recent weeks at their restaurant, that being able to pause and help others on Thanksgiving Day was actually a gift.

“This is my opportunity today, after this, to sit down … pausing is so important because you got to kind of reset there and, you know, realize what’s going on around you and just be thankful and appreciative to what’s going on,” Chris Vincent said.

All of the volunteers who helped out Thursday were serving as dedicated community builders. Last year, volunteers served 80 Thanksgiving Day meals to Marion County residents who are either unhoused, face food insecurity or live on a fixed income.

“It’s very important to give back to our community. Like, if I was in [trouble] and I needed help, I would hope someone would want to lend a helping hand to me. So I think it’s very important that, as a community, people help each other — all we have is each other really,” Savannah Vincent said.

Reach Eric Cravey at 304-367-2523.

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