Jared Daniels
The Laramie Soup Kitchen and Laramie Foster Closet are hosting the 14th annual Breakfast with Santa.
This year will be the first year both organizations are conducting the breakfast. Each organization is proud of what they do and expressed their enjoyment in working with one another. Laramie Soup Kitchen is looking for volunteers to help make muffins for the event.
“This event has been a community favorite for many years and we are both excited to be involved this year,” said Sarah Carol, deputy director at the Laramie Soup Kitchen.
“As a foster parent for the past five years, and the Director of LFC for the past three and a half years, I have witnessed hundreds of children and youth walk through the doors of our foster closet. The work that we do provides advocacy and support for these children and for the foster families that care for them, with the hope of reunification,” said Jenni Vazqueztell, founder and director of the Laramie Foster Closet (LFC).
People interested in volunteering can help the Laramie Soup Kitchen prepare for the breakfast by helping them bake muffins today and tomorrow.
However, the volunteering opportunities do not stop with this event as each organization offers many ways the community can help.
“Volunteering is the lifeblood of the place. We need that volunteer base to help us achieve our visionary goals,” said Tyler Spear, the Director of Development at the University of Wyoming and a member of the board at the Laramie Soup Kitchen.
Breakfast with Santa will take place at the Laramie Plains Civic Center on Sat. from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. The breakfast will have many activities for people attending such as breakfast, raffles and pictures with Santa. The proceeds from the tickets collected will be divided between these two organizations.
“By attending this event, you are providing free admission to registered foster families and the children for which they care,” said Vazqueztell.
She said every child deserves to experience the magic attached to this season. Vazquetzell encourages the community to attend for the plethora of activities and to support the organizations and their goals.
“This event is open to all members of the community, but is especially focused on children and their families,” said Carol.
The Laramie Foster Closet is a non-profit organization made up of volunteers who strive to serve the foster family community. They try to serve not just the children, but their parents. The Laramie Soup Kitchen has been around since 1983 and looks to provide quality food to the less fortunate.
“We should all feel a sense of pride in the community we are in, that includes serving those in our community in whatever shape or form that takes,” said Spear.
