It was a souper success. Nearly 1,000 people trudged across a snow-covered parking lot at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds to attend St. Vincent de Paul's fifth annual Souport the End of Homelessness fundraiser. "When I heard they were doing it in the Jacklin Building, I thought, 'Oh my gosh, it's really grown,'" said Gail Jensen, of Hayden, who said she attends every year. "This is just the greatest event." In 2011, the soup event attracted 509 people, and 17 businesses participated. This year, about 50 businesses and other types of organizations participated. The room was lined with tables manned by volunteers ready to ladle tastes of 37 different types of soups, all donated by local businesses and other organizations. For $10, attendees could sample them all/Maureen Dolan, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here. (Coeur d'Alene Press photo by Tess Freeman: Debi Furey helps Chloe Todd, 6, pick out a sample of 15 bean buffalo chicken soup from the Washington Trust Bank booth)

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