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Nourishing communities with wholesome and delicious soup

At Soup Sisters, we believe everything starts with good nutrition. A well-nourished body has the power to heal, to grow stronger, and to thrive. That is why we provide highly nourishing, quality soups to those who need them most.

Soup Sisters is more than just a warm meal; it's a hug in a bowl. When someone receives a bowl of our soup, the message is clear: we see you, we care. It is more than food. It is comfort, dignity, and connection. Each Hug in a Bowl tells people in crisis that they are not alone.

We know that good food changes lives. For Canadians living with food insecurity, vulnerable populations or students, access to wholesome meals is the starting point for resilience. Through our Soup Bank and community-based soup-making events, we deliver thousands of servings each year to agencies, schools, and shelters nationwide.

We are also a social enterprise where our mission comes before profits. For charities, food is always a necessity. By choosing Soup Sisters, they not only provide healthy meals to their clients, but they also support a Canadian organization working to fight food insecurity. It’s a model that sustains our mission, strengthens community, and ensures more Hugs in a Bowl are shared across the country.

4 Million Hugs in a Bowl

10,000+ complete meals per month

100,000+ soup-making volunteers

400,000 volunteer hours

65 agencies nationwide

receive soup for their clients

Our mission
To nurture and nourish communities impacted by food insecurity with wholesome and delicious soup.

RESOURCES

2024-2025
Impact Report

READ HERE

Soup Sisters
Fact Sheet

Hug in a Bowl
Fact Sheet

Soup It Forward 2025 PSA

READ HERE

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.

“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.”