Our story
Two ladies, one pot, and every day since
Since our founding in 2023, Humboldt Soup's On has provided more than 50,000 meals to unhoused individuals and their pets, without prejudice or judgment.
We're a local nonprofit built on a simple belief: everyone deserves a warm, nutritious meal and to feel cared for.
How we got here
From a folding table to forty bags a day
Sunday, November 12, 2023
Two ladies and one pot
The first pot of soup is served at the Ray's shopping center in Valley West. About 25 people come. Within three weeks we're out seven days a week.
2024 – 2025
Every day, wherever we were allowed
We served on-site from a couple of spots and got moved on more than once. Wind took the easy-ups; we came back the next day anyway.
October 1, 2025
We went mobile
Rather than ask people to leave their shelter in the rain, we started packing every meal into a brown bag and driving it out.
Today
50,000+ meals and counting
40 hot meals a day, seven days a week, rain or shine. We still haven't missed one.
“Last October we decided, to heck with this — we're going mobile.”
Why we show up
It's about much more than serving a meal
It's about showing up every day, getting to know the people we serve, sharing a conversation, and letting our neighbors know they have not been forgotten.
The people we serve face real barriers to nutritious food, stable housing, healthcare and other essential services. Showing up consistently has let us build relationships based on trust, compassion and respect.
Over time, those relationships have opened doors: to healthcare, housing assistance, counseling and other support. A meal can become the start of a conversation, a connection, or someone's next step toward stability.
Working with others
Looking at the whole person, not a single need
A local veteran housing program
Working together, we've helped several people we serve move into stable housing.
A pet rescue and adoption agency
Many of our neighbors care for animals as well as themselves. This partnership has made spay and neuter care possible for the pets of unhoused people, and we bring dog food along with the meals.
Our team
Everyone here is a volunteer
What we believe
Meaningful change often starts with something simple: showing up, offering a warm meal, listening without judgment, and treating every person with dignity and respect.
We're deeply grateful to the volunteers, donors, community organizations and individuals who make this work possible. Together we're not only providing meals. We're making connections, strengthening our community, and reminding our unhoused neighbors that they matter.
— the Soup Ladies
Help us keep the streak going
$25 packs 20 bags. An hour or two a week puts you on a team.