Why Soup? For the Y

“Soup is a healthy, comforting meal to share with your family or friends, and that’s what the YMCA is all about,” says David Damiano, who is not only president of the Downtown Organization but also part of a team of fundraisers working on the Channel Islands YMCA’s “Campaign for Youth.” Damiano and his crew thought, why just ask people for moolah when you can make them cook or eat for it? Thus, the “Soup de l’YMCA” soup-making contest was born. Your job: come up with the best soup recipe you can. The trick is, all entries must include at least one major ingredient that begins with one of these letters: Y, M, C, or A. Enter your soup recipe with a $25 entry fee by February 18. The top five entries will participate at the Soup de l’YMCA Taste-Off at State & A, on Monday, March 1. Local celebrity judges (including yours truly) will choose a winner, and Taste-Off attendees will have the opportunity, for a $15 fee, to sample the finalists’ creations. All proceeds go to the YMCA Campaign for Youth. For info, email Soupdelymca@gmail.com and or visit ciymca.org.