Crowdfunding dinner Sept. 29 in Pasco spotlights 4 new projects

Participants in an inaugural event Sept. 29 will help kickstart a new project in the Pasco community, while enjoying a bowl of soup.

Pasco SOUP is a crowdfunding initiative “to raise awareness and provide tangible support to good, community-based solutions,” said coordinator Isaac Myhrum.

Four presenters whose ideas would benefit the city and the people of Pasco have been selected to make a short pitch at the community dinner.

Then, while audience members enjoy a meal of soup and bread, they will cast a vote for their favorite project. The winner will receive all proceeds from the evening to make their new business, nonprofit or community project a reality.

The event, which is open to the public, costs $5 per person. It is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Don Antonio’s restaurant in the Plaza Del Sol Building, 528 W. Clark St. in downtown Pasco.

“With a community as diverse and fast-growing as Pasco, creative community solutions come in many different shapes and flavors,” according to Pasco SOUP’s organizers. “Although we place no hard boundaries around what solutions might be out there, Pasco SOUP focuses on supporting these five areas: social nonprofits; small business start-ups; youth entrepreneurship; art projects; and community volunteer projects/solutions.”

The model is based on an initiative that started in Detroit in 2010, and continues to operate as a neighborhood-centric dinner focusing on not just the arts, but all social enterprises.

Myhrum, who has lived in Pasco for six years, said he was on a return flight from a vacation a couple of years ago when he saw a video on Detroit SOUP, and was inspired to bring a similar event to the Tri-Cities.

He talked to different groups, and finally drew interest from the Downtown Pasco Development Authority.

Myhrum said they got a few other volunteers on board, and have been organizing the event since the start of this year.

The planning committee reviewed submitted proposals and chose four “aimed at emerging opportunities or underrepresented needs in the community,” he said.

The projects are:

▪ Nuestra Noche (Our Night) would be a community movie night featuring Spanish-language films.

▪ Chiawana High School Lacrosse Club, with students recruiting players for the rapidly growing sport.

▪ LGBT Youth Catalyst Leadership, a program looking to expand into Pasco to provide mentors and community support.

▪ Somos Pasco would be a digital platform for social commentary and promoting events, particularly in downtown Pasco.

Representatives for each project will be given four minutes Sept. 29 — and they can’t use any technology, like a PowerPoint, in their presentation. That will be followed by a question-and-answer session.

“It’s a very personal connection that can be formed through this. It’s literally a person, sharing through the microphone, about their story and their program,” said Myhrum. “Hopefully it makes for a pretty intimate venue.”

The winning presenter will be asked to return to a future SOUP event and give a progress report.

However, Myhrum’s hope is that this event will help the other three programs also get support and gain traction in the community.

“I think Pasco is a great community for this,” he said. “Focusing more at the neighborhood level first kind of makes sense. That’s not to say it can’t spread around town.

Event sponsors are: Coldwell Banker; My Place Hotel-Pasco; Taxes y Mas; Umpqua Bank; Social WebNet; Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs; and Moon Security Services.

Sponsorship money is covering the rental costs for the space, rental furniture and materials. The restaurant is making the soups, which may be chicken noodle, potato and pozole.

There are no advance tickets, but Myhrum said people can informally RSVP on the Facebook page to help organizers get an idea of how may will be attending.

More information on Pasco SOUP also is available on its website.

This story was originally published September 25, 2016 at 7:38 PM with the headline "Crowdfunding dinner Sept. 29 in Pasco spotlights 4 new projects."