WINDSOR, ONT. -- This Christmas Day, if you are hungry, The Magical Mushroom Hub at 879 Walker Road is inviting you to enjoy a free bowl of soup.

Starting at noon, freshly cooked soup will be given out through a “grab-and-go” style soup kitchen.

The nutritious soup is made from ingredients donated by local farms and businesses.

“Our soup is going to be vegan and gluten-free, we want to make sure that as many people have the capacity to enjoy the soup,” says Denis Vidmar, owner of The Mush Hub

He says the idea sparked after a conversation he had with the downtown Windsor Kids First Food Bank a few weeks ago.

“I called the food bank to see how they were doing, and then finding shocking numbers in regards to the increase of people using the food bank during COVID times,” Vidmar said. 

Within hours, Vidmar put out a call for help asking local farms and businesses for donations.

The response was massive.

More than 20 businesses donated items from clothes, food, to money.

For COVID safety and efficiency, there will be two separate lines for pickup on Christmas Day:

  • Via car, use the alleyway entrance off Niagara Street 
  • If you are walking, the lineup will be on Walker Road

At the end of the day, no food will go to waste. All leftover soup will be frozen and extra items will be donated to the Kids First Food Bank.

Donations courtesy of: Kids First Food Bank, The Windsor Club, Thirsty Butler, Garfields Colchester, Little foot foods, Vegan Gardiners, Auntie Aldoo’s Pies, Butcher of Kingsville, Diane Saba & Associates, Hot Hive Studios, The Cheese Bar, TheMushHub Co, Bubi’s Sauce from Savory World Foods, Francis Mediterranean Bakery, Blak’s Bakery, Thomson Bakery Co, Mancini’s Italian Bakery, Union Bakery