SANDPOINT — What’s better on a soon-to-be fall day than delicious, filling soup?

How about samples of soups from some of your favorite restaurants while helping the Sandpoint Community Resource Center at the same time?

Today, from 5-8 p.m., local restaurants will engage in SoupTember: Battle for the Golden Ladle at Farmin Park in Sandpoint. Competitors include Beet and Basil, Chimney Rock, Eichardt’s, Jalapeno’s, Pack River Store, Pend d’Oreille Winery, Skeyes the Limit, Spud’s, Tango Cafe, Trinity at City Beach and Winter Ridge. In addition to sampling soups, there will be a raffle, auction and live music featuring Browne Salmon Truck.

Admission to SoupTember is $10. Funds raised will support SCRC’s support of those in need.

All of the chefs donate the soups, their time and their staff to the event, all to help others in the community, Linnis Jellinek, SCRC executive director, said.

At SoupTember, diners get a spoon and a score card. You are then free to wander around the different booths and taste as many soup samples as you wish. When you turn in your scorecard, you get a free dessert and coffee. There will also be a live auction, raffle for baskets with dining cards to area restaurants and more.

Jellinek said the local chefs and restaurants are among the many in the area who want to improve the community and recognize that SCRC aims to make “Sandpoint a better place for everyone, not just those in need.”

In a two-year look back at the center’s efforts, Jellinek said that between June 2017 and July 2019, 4,809 individuals or families were helped through the resource center.

Resource directories detailing the more than 150 different groups and resources available, helping connect those who are offering services with those in need, are in hot demand. Jellinek picked up 1,000 directories and began delivering them to locations in Sandpoint, Priest River and Clark Fork on Sept. 3 — six days later, she only had 150 left and many places were already asking for more.

She’s already looking for a sponsor to print another 1,000 of the directories.

“I think everyone realizes we’re stronger together,” she said. “With all buzz this year about resource center, there’s a lot of increased awareness and we’re seeing more calls.”

Caroline Lobsinger can be reached by email at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @CarolDailyBee.