My friend Gemma (of Pro Bono Baker) just emailed me to let me know about a Soup event in Chicago - the Soup and Bread project at the Hideout. Every week, various cooks chip in pots of soup and some bread on the side, and it's free! The idea is to get people together to enjoy soup on these cold winter evenings, and to collect money for various charities, particularly the Great Chicago Food Depository. More information about their weekly events - and recipes for the soups! - can be found on their website, http://soupnbread.wordpress.com/about-soup-and-bread/

For those not living in Chicago, Bread & Soup also has a wonderful cookbook for sale, which can be found here: http://soupnbread.wordpress.com/about-the-soup-bread-cookbook/