Laura Lewis, a former Cornell staff member who serves on the Common Council for the City of Ithaca’s Fifth Ward, will speak at the next Soup & Hope event, Feb. 1, noon-1 p.m., Sage Chapel. The series will continue biweekly through March: Amy Kohut and Carol James, Feb. 15; José Armando Fernández Guerrero, March 1; Grace Chuang, March 15; and Darnell and Darryl Epps, March 29.

Over the past 10 years, more than 50 speakers – encompassing a wide range of Cornell staff, faculty, students, alumni and community members – have touched, inspired and motivated Cornell and local community members who gather to listen to them, reflect on their life stories and be nourished by hot soup and rolls provided free of charge by Cornell Dining.

Soup & Hope was inspired by the work of civil rights veterans Vincent and Rosemarie Freeney Harding, who visited the Ithaca campus Feb. 19, 2008, when Vincent Harding was the invited speaker for the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Lecture.

Mark your calendars now; bring a friend.