Community Corner
Blue Point Book Club Dedicated to Giving Back
Local resident and group host soup social, enticing attendees to bring canned foods for a church outreach program.
The smell of scented pumpkin spice candles and homemade soup filled the air as Blue Point resident Jean Dougherty hosted her fourth annual soup social at her home Sunday evening.
Dougherty, along with the other 12 members of the Blue Point Book Club, hosted the party to encourage community members and family to bring food donations for the Food Pantry.
“I do it because I want to give back to my friends and the community, without getting presents,” Dougherty said. “It’s about getting everyone together at this time of year, harvest time.”
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Dougherty said she started preparing the soups and the displays a week prior. She made five different soups from scratch, including baked potato, chili, Manhattan clam chowder, chicken noodle and roasted red pepper, all accompanied with a slew of toppings and sides.
“I try to add one soup pot every year,” Dougherty said. “I had three, then I had four and now I have five.”
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The Blue Point Book Club has been a charity-driven force for nine years. In between reading and discussing books, the club dedicated itself to helping out in the community. In the past, they have supported the Breast Cancer Society, African Fair Trade Society, Mercy Center Ministries, Bayport- Blue Point Library and Our Lady of the Snow Parish Outreach Program.
The ladies ask that anyone willing to contribute to the food drive can drop off various non-perishable food items, as well as diapers, soap and detergent at the doors of the church or inside the vestibule.
“By making this small gesture, you can make someone else’s life a little easier,” said book club member Patti Rowland. “The rewards are tenfold.”
