Sharing a soup lunch is a wonderful way to live our faith in action. As we join together for this humble meal we express our solidarity and support for our global brothers and sisters devastated by war, climate change, poverty and famine.
Soup lunches provide an opportunity for prayer and reflection and it’s a chance to give practical help by raising money to support CAFOD’s amazing work.
A simple lunch for Family Fast Days

A simple soup lunch at St Augustine in Tunbridge Wells
We talked to Maria Chiara, a CAFOD volunteer from Italy, about a simple soup lunch that CAFOD staff and volunteers enjoyed at Romero house as part of Family Fast Day.
“We came together to share our simple meal and reflect on the lives of those living in extreme poverty. People brought different home-cooked soups such as lentil, carrot and sweet potato.
We began our lunch with prayer and reflection. We took the opportunity to remember the women who started Family Fast Day and then CAFOD in the early ‘60s, and to think about the supporters and volunteers who have shown incredible commitment and generosity in helping others.
It was wonderful for me to be there and show solidarity with our global neighbours, who we thought of them as we sat down to eat. I work for Caritas Cagliari and we have many projects to put our faith in action to help and empower those living in extreme poverty, so I was very excited to discover CAFOD fast days.”
Take a look at this video to see what we were up to!
A life saved with your help

You can have a simple soup lunch anywhere and at any time to show that you care!
Maria told us about an inspiring film they watched about Lilian. “The lunch was a chance to stand in solidarity with women like Lilian, who was very sick with HIV. The Family Fast Day film showed us how CAFOD had nursed her back to health. They gave her support and training to stay healthy and to rebuild her and her children’s life. It showed me how by eating simply and donating to CAFOD, lives can be saved”
How can I organise a simple soup lunch?
With November and the cold weather approaching why not hold your own Family fast day soup lunch? In fact, any time is a good time to make or buy soup and share a simple meal to show spiritual and practical solidarity for our global brothers and sisters.
CAFOD has loads of great information and resources to help you Plan a soup lunch in your parish Everything from choosing a venue, posters and to promoting the lunch in your parish newsletters. There’s even a recipe for a delicious pasta and bean soup!