Great Plains Region

Regina Assiniboine:  Making a Difference in Our Community
Submitted by Marci Brisbourne 

Stone Soup
On November 26th, 2002, CPC Regina Assiniboine members and guests were introduced to Leila Francis, the Executive Director of the Regina Core Community Group.  It was eye opening to hear the trials and tribulations of another world that exists within our very own community.  It is the Group's intention to educate and involve the neighborhood's residents in a quest to solve and overcome the problems that they face within this other world.  An innovative concept that works to this end is their "Stone Soup Project."  Based on the old legend "Stone Soup," with the moral of the story being that by working together, with everyone contributing what they can, a greater good can be achieved.  A contribution of a single can of beans, a jar of tomatoes, a piece of meat, a carrot, a potato, etc. allows the residents to work together following a simple recipe for caring and kindness while creating food for all and a wonderful sense of community.  In the spirit of "Stone Soup", the Christmas season, and that which makes us Progressians, CPC Regina Assiniboine members came together to provide a large collection of non-perishable soup ingredients to the Group.

Hearts & Flours
Another project at the Centre is "soup and bannock Fridays."  To express a continuing support of the Core Group's initiatives and to help supply flour needed for making bannock, the club's February 11th meeting was designated "Hearts and Flours Night." The intention was to collect a "bouquet of flours" for Leila, her volunteers and the residents of the area.  Due to the generosity of the members, more than just "some flour" went to the Group:  over fifty pounds of flour, basic baking supplies of oil, salt and sugar along with supplies for muffins and cookies—used for children's programs—were delivered to the Centre on February 14th.  Once again, CPC Regina Assiniboine members prove they have hearts of gold!

Regina Assiniboine members work together to address the continuous need for nutritious soup to feed hungry families in the core area of the city.

Chop n' Chat
Members look forward to continuing their support of another inner-city agency, by providing an ongoing supply of soup to the Carmichael Outreach Centre. This organization feeds the hungry in the core area, with the assistance of CPC Regina Assiniboine's own version of "Stone Soup"—the "Chop n' Chat" soup-making nights held at members' homes throughout the year.