Kids Care Clubs
Stone Soup

Soup is a very nutritious and easy-to-serve meal. Some soup kitchens and homeless shelters are  happy to receive donations of homemade soups for their guests.*

Homemade soup for over a hundred people is a big job for one person, but you can be like the three clever soldiers in Stone Soup by Marcia Brown. The soldiers seemed to create a delicious soup from "nothing."  When each club member contributes one item for your soup, the result will be a nutritious soup for a soup kitchen or shelter.

Materials Needed:

• A kitchen 
• A couple big pots for the soup
• Soup ingredients - See recipe below
• Seasonings like salt, pepper, and garlic
• Large cardboard boxes for transporting the pots of soup

Steps Involved:

1. Contact the local soup kitchen and tell them you would like to donate a pot or two of soup. *Ask if you can prepare it off-site. (Some soup kitchens will only allow on-site preparation.  Ask about age restrictions if you must prepare on-site).
2. If you prepare off-site must it be delivered hot or can they warm it there?
3. Borrow large pots from your school or church if you can prepare off-site.
4. Ask everybody in your club to bring a prepared vegetable and a large can of chicken broth to the designated kitchen. See recipe below:

5. Transportation can be difficult.  You must be able to carry the pots. Place the pots in the large cardboard boxes and secure with rolled newspapers to keep them from moving around.

6. Take your soup to the soup kitchen and, if you can, stay to help serve to the guests.

Kids Care Clubs Stone Soup Recipe

The name "Stone Soup" comes from the book Stone Soup by Marcia Brown. The idea is to create a delicious and nutritious meal by each child contributing an ingredient and working together.

Ingredients Needed:

• 32 ounces canned tomatoes
• 15 oz can of red kidney beans
• 15 oz can of chick peas (garbanzo beans)
• 3 medium onions
• 2 zucchini
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 and 1/2 cup of water
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 tsp. dried basil
• 2 cups of rice or pasta
• Salt and pepper 

 Steps Involved:

1. Drain beans.
2. Chop onions, mince garlic, slice zucchini and celery.
3. Combine canned tomatoes, beans, vegetables, water and seasoning in a large pot (at least a 4-quart pot - preferably cast iron or stainless steel).
4. Bring to boil, reduce heat; cover and simmer until vegetables are tender- about 1 hour.
5. Cook rice or pasta separately and add to soup just before serving.

This nutritious recipe serves about 10 people.