Souper Tuesday at STM a chance to feel supported, nurture friendships

If all goes according to plan, Hannah Gericke, Steve Zheng, and Katherine Chang will all become medical doctors one day.

But for now, they are hard-working fourth-year biomedical sciences students in the College of Arts and Science, just trying to keep up with their studies while carving out a little time to socialize when they are able.

What helps them with that part of their lives is gathering around a lunch table at St. Thomas More College (STM) every second Tuesday for a free bowl of soup and a bun.

The three friends found out about Souper Tuesdays at STM through a friend and have appreciated the break it gives them all year long.

“We had a mutual friend who texted us ‘Free soup on Tuesday, come to it!’ ” said Gericke.

With that first invitation, a tradition was born.

“Now, every Monday evening we text each other ‘Are we coming to Souper Tuesday?’ said Chang.

“And it motivates us for Tuesday lectures,” said Zheng. “You have to wake up for an 8:30 am class and then go to a 10 o'clock and then, you know, this is the reward.”

“And what’s really cool is that we have other friends who are in different programs and different colleges so that we don't have classes together anymore and once a week we meet with them,” said Chang. “We have friends in chemistry and pharmacy that we don't get to see very often. So now we see them every two weeks.”

“I have a friend who is doing Fine Arts and she joins us, sometimes,” said Gericke.

“So, it brings people from a bunch of different colleges together and gives us a reason to hang out over some food,” Chang added.

Souper Tuesdays began at STM in 2024-2025, and is offered by the Student Experience Team. Over the course of the current academic year it will have given out 1,950 free soup and bun lunches.

Throughout the year there were additional lunch partners offering an additional treat like cookies or dessert squars along with information about their programs. These partners included the St. Thomas More Students’ Union (STMSU), the STM Just Youth group, the office of the Scholar in Indigenous Education, in medias res, STM Campus Ministry, the STM Student Leadership Council, the Shannon Library, STM Peer Health, and the Irene and Doug Schmeiser Centre for Faith, Reason, Peace, and Justice,

All these groups at the College pulling together to feed hungry scholars make lunch at STM a family affair. 

“The inspiration for Souper Tuesdays partly comes from weekly soup and bannock lunches at Gordon Oakes Red Bear Centre,” said Richard Medernach, Manager of Student Services. “We have sponsored one or two of those per year for several years, and we are always impressed with the effect it has on students. It helps those students get to know the Centre staff and makes the space feel more like home. They provide an excellent model for us to follow at STM.”

In addition to addressing the food insecurity that is a problem for some students, Souper Tuesdays helps build community at STM, he said.

The Souper Tuesday program is supported by friendly staff members like Dean Schmidt, Michael MacLean, Celeste Woloschuk, Marina Ellis, Sagar Chakraverty, and Gertrude Rompre, who take turns handling the soup ladle and are always eager to brighten the day of the students.

“I see it as the latest iteration of the pastoral care model that we inherited from the Basilian Fathers,” said Medernach. “There is a venerable history of gathering around food at STM as a way to create a positive social space. We want our students to know they are valued and to feel supported. We want to create an environment where casual conversations plant the seeds of life-long friendships. We want students to have time to make sense of the concepts they learn in class through informal peer learning. Souper Tuesdays do all of these things. At the very least, providing a decent lunch for a student improves their ability to learn and study.”

The final Souper Tuesday of 2025-2026 takes place Tuesday, April 7 beginning at 11:30 am in the North Lobby of STM.

All are welcome!