Dear Editor,
Thank you for the excellent article on the Soup Bowl in the March 14 Herald and the kind words about us. You have really captured the essence of what goes on there. Just one correction – a little history.
Ernie and I are not the founders of the Merritt Bread Basket, which conducts the Soup Bowl. In the fall of 1997, the Family Worship Centre, pastored by Chuck Brewer, had members of his congreation praying about what the church could do to benefit the community. They felt led to begin a feeding program so started with big dinners in the Civic Centre. So the founders, as far as we know, were Chuck and Julie Brewer, Olivia McClure and Jerry and Linda Karlson. Ernie and I were newcomers then and just came to help.
We loved it. When the chruch saw more of a need to have feeding on a weekly basis and the big dinners were phased out, we continued to help a little and – you might say – inherited the running of it in a natural way. From the beginning, Ernie discouraged labels and wanted it to be non-denominational. The Anglican Church has been wonderful to us as have all the churches, and various groups of people in the community. Without our volunteers from all walks of life, we could not continue to exist.
As for Ernie and I, this scripture best shows why we have been at the Soup Bowl for so many years: Psalm 40: verses 1b and 2 “(The Lord) inclined to me and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of the horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, (the solid rock of Jesus Christ) and established my steps. (3) He has put a new song in my mouth…”
We have really desired to give something back.
Ernie and Pam Whitaker
Merritt
