Reed, Liam, Jennings, Ryan, and Houston Barnes (Photos: Michael Donahue)

About 600 people were in the soup recently, but not in a bad sense. This was a pleasant experience. They were the guests at the 37th Youth Villages Soup Sunday, which was held February 22nd at The Kent.

The event, which featured more than 30 restaurants and vendors, was a success. They raised $138,000, says Youth Villages CEO Patrick Lawler. “It was the most money we’ve ever raised,” he says.

Proceeds go to LifeSet, a program to help young people who are aging out of foster care. 

Michael Donahue began his career in 1975 at the now-defunct Memphis Press-Scimitar and moved to The Commercial Appeal in 1984, where he wrote about food and dining, music, and covered social events until...