LEGION AUXILIARY SERVES SOUP TO BLOOD DONORS

There's a good and understandable reason why the Red Cross blood drives held at the Jackson American Legion Post are so successful: The homemade chicken soup served up by the Legion Auxiliary Unit 158.

While most blood drives serve donors a cookie or a glass of fruit juice, those giving blood at the Legion Hall receive bowls of steaming hot, delicious homemade chicken noodle soup.

Frieda Scheffer, 85, leads her soup-making troops as she has for nearly 25 years. She said she was uncertain how long the tradition of making soup for blood donors had been going on, but it had been long before she began helping with the process.

The most recent blood drive, which took place last Monday, was fairly typical.

The auxiliary members began showing up at the hall around 8 a.m. to begin preparations for the soup. Usually there are four to six women who work in the kitchen and three who later serve it to "the customers." It takes quite a while to cook 40 pounds of chicken and then remove the bones. Also to peel and dice are 10 pounds of potatoes, bags and bags of fresh celery, carrots, and onions. Tomatoes and eight pounds of noodles also go into the soup. This makes about 25 gallons of soup, or enough to feed from 85 to 100 people.

Crackers are also served with the soup, along with cookies for dessert.

"We have a bigger turnout (of donors) here because we feed them better," said Marie Hinkebein, an auxiliary member. "The soup is just very, very tasty."

Ingredients in the soup may vary, Scheffer said, adding: "It's whatever we're in the mood for. I don't have a regular soup recipe."

The ingredients for the soup are donated by churches, individuals and businesses, she said. Coca-Cola donates the sodas.

The blood drive began at 1:30 p.m., and bowls of steaming chicken noodle soup began being served shortly afterward.

The soup is served the old-fashioned way, in crockery bowls, accompanied by real metal spoons. This group spurns plastic bowls and spoons. Dishes and silverware are washed by hand as they come back to the kitchen.

The Jackson auxiliary is the only group between St. Louis and at least the next states that gives homemade soup to blood donors, Scheffer said.

Members of the auxiliary working on the soup-making detail at the most recent blood drive included Frieda Scheffer, Marie Hinkebein, Dora Mantel, Rosalee Sides, Daisy Long, Ruby Friedrich, Dora Koehler and Mary Proctor, all of Jackson.

The group's slogan, Scheffer said with a warm laugh, could be, "You give us your blood, and we'll give you homemade noodle soup!"