Soup It Forward: Fresh Food, Real Recipes, and a Reason to Share
Soup it forward is a box of fresh vegetables that is grown in our garden. Inside is a recipe, a simple cooking guide, and one extra container. Because the deal is this: you cook a pot of soup, then you share some with someone nearby.
100+
Soup kits shared across East Texas
16+ Years
Feeding families and teaching kids
Chemical-Free
Grown by local youth interns
Why We Started Soup It Forward
Elizabeth Dry spent years working with kids in West and East Dallas. She kept seeing the same thing. Families going to food pantries month after month, year after year. Not a rough patch. A way of life.
She tried cooking classes. But the fresh food often sat until it spoiled, because a tired parent at the end of a long day does not always have a plan for a bag of vegetables. So she built one. Soup, it turned out, was the answer. Forgiving. Flexible. Enough to feed a family and still have some left to give away.
That idea became Soup It Forward. It started in Dallas. Today it feeds families right here in Mineola, from Quitman to Hawkins to Lindale.
"I wanted to develop something that created knowledge about food while they were preparing that food, that brought people together, and just put that good nutrition on the plate."
- Elizabeth Dry, Founder
How Soup It Forward Works
1. We Grow It
Youth interns plant, tend, and harvest chemical-free vegetables on our 14-acre farm at Sunshine Acres. The food in every kit started as a seed in a student's hand.
2. We Pack the Kit
A family receives a soup kit: fresh ingredients, a featured recipe, a step-by-step family cooking guide, and broth to build it on. The recipe changes every month, drawn from chefs and cultures across Texas and beyond.
3. Families Cook Together
The kit is made for the whole family to cook as a team. Kids chop. Parents stir. Everyone sits down to the same pot. The cooking guide turns dinner into a lesson and a conversation.
4. They Soup It Forward
Every kit comes with an extra container. Families ladle out a serving and pass it to a neighbor, a friend, or someone having a hard week. One pot of soup. Two families fed. That is the whole idea.
What's Inside Every Kit
Fresh Produce
Chemical-free vegetables, grown by local youth interns.
A Recipe
A new featured soup every month, simple enough for a weeknight.
A Family Cooking Guide
Step by step, made for kids and parents to follow together.
Real Broth
A rich, flavorful base to build the whole pot on.
A Share Container
So you can soup it forward to a neighbor in need.
No processed shortcuts. No mystery ingredients. Just real food and a plan to use it.
One Pot at a Time, We're Changing How Families Eat
One in eight people in this country rely on SNAP right now. Behind that number are real families in Wood County choosing between fresh food and the bills. Soup It Forward meets them with dignity, not a handout. Good food. The skills to use it. And the chance to turn around and help someone else.
It works. Kids who would not touch a vegetable are asking for seconds.
"I tasted cauliflower three ways in the school cafeteria. I had never tasted cauliflower, and now I bring it for a snack." - a Promise of Peace student
That is what your gift builds. A kid who loves cauliflower. A family that cooks together. A neighbor who knows someone thought of them.
Soups Worth Sharing
Every month features a new recipe, chosen to be simple enough for a weeknight and good enough to give away. Here are a few straight from the pot.
Caldo Verde
A Portuguese classic. Hearty greens, tender potato, and a savory broth that comes together in one pot. Warm, filling, and built for sharing.
Garden Minestrone
Whatever is ripe that week, simmered with beans and tomato. Endlessly forgiving, and a little different every time.
Want this month's recipe and the fresh ingredients to make it?
See Soup It Forward in Action
Watch our families, our farm, and our students bring this program to life.
From the Community
"I think everybody could use a little bit of food and love sometimes. I think that's mainly what this program is about." - Hunter Kessler, Mineola
Help Us Keep the Pot Full
It takes about thirty dollars to send one soup kit home with a family. Here is what your gift does.
$30
Sends one soup kit home with a family: fresh ingredients, a recipe, a cooking guide, and a container to share.
$120
Feeds one family for a full season, a kit every month, all season long.
$300
Sponsors a family's entire season, plus the seeds and supplies behind every harvest.
Not able to give right now? You can still help. Volunteer at the farm, refer a family who could use a kit, or partner with us as a chef or sponsor. Call Elizabeth at 214-240-9220.
Get Involved with Soup It Forward
Want to support the program, sign up a family, volunteer, or share a recipe from your own kitchen? Send us a note and Elizabeth will be in touch. Prefer to talk? Call 214-240-9220.
100+ Kits Shared - 16+ Years in East Texas - Chemical-Free, Locally Grown - Every Dollar Stays Local
Soup It Forward Questions
What is Soup It Forward in Mineola?
Soup It Forward is a food-sharing program from Promise of Peace Gardens. Each month, a family receives a soup kit with fresh, locally grown ingredients, a featured recipe, a family cooking guide, and a container to share a portion with a neighbor. It pairs real food with the skills to use it, and a reason to pass it on.
Who can receive a soup kit?
The program serves families across Mineola and Wood County, with a focus on households living in a food desert or below the poverty line. We coach a small group of families each season so every family gets real attention. To sign a family up, call Elizabeth at 214-240-9220 or use the form on this page.
How much does a soup kit cost a family?
Nothing. The kits are free to the families we serve. They are funded entirely by donations and community support, which is why your gift matters so much.
What is in a Soup It Forward kit?
Every kit includes fresh chemical-free produce grown by our youth interns, a featured soup recipe that changes monthly, a step-by-step family cooking guide, rich broth, and an extra container so the family can share a serving with someone nearby.
How do I sign up a family in Mineola or Wood County?
Reach out and we will walk you through it. Call Elizabeth at 214-240-9220 or fill out the form on this page and choose "Refer a family for soup kits." We serve families from Mineola to Quitman, Hawkins, and Lindale.
Where does Soup It Forward operate?
The program runs out of Sunshine Acres, our 14-acre farm in Mineola, and serves families across Wood County and East Texas. Elizabeth first built the program while working with families in West and East Dallas, then brought it home to Mineola.
How can I help or donate to Soup It Forward?
The simplest way to help is to donate, which keeps the kits full and free for families. About thirty dollars sends one kit home with a family. You can also volunteer at the farm, refer a family, or partner with us as a chef or sponsor. Tap any Donate Now button or call 214-240-9220.
Where does my donation go?
Every dollar stays local and goes straight into the program: fresh ingredients, recipes, cooking guides, share containers, and the seeds and supplies behind every harvest. Promise of Peace Gardens has served East Texas and the Dallas area for more than 16 years.
How is the food grown?
All produce is grown chemical-free by youth interns on our farm at Sunshine Acres in Mineola. Students handle every step, from preparing the soil to harvesting the vegetables that go into each kit.
Can I volunteer or share a recipe?
Yes, and we would love the help. Volunteers work side by side with our students on the farm, and home cooks are welcome to share a favorite soup recipe for a future kit. Use the form on this page or call Elizabeth at 214-240-9220.
Promise of Peace Gardens
Elizabeth Dry | 214-240-9220
Sunshine Acres Community Farm, Mineola, Texas
© 2026 Promise of Peace Gardens. All rights reserved.
