With winter posing the greatest risks for families experiencing homelessness, COTS Detroit is turning up the heat with Soup City 2026 Detroit Edition, the nonprofit’s long-running fundraiser that blends food, music and community to support housing stability.
“Soup City has been happening now for 27 years,” said Aisha Morrell-Ferguson, COTS’ chief development officer. “Those dollars that we raised go directly to helping families overcome challenges connected to poverty and homelessness. They support our emergency shelter as well as supportive and affordable housing programs.”
More than 60% of the people served by COTS are children, underscoring the urgency of the event’s mission. Morrell-Ferguson said the Art of Family Gallery at Soup City helps shift perceptions. “They challenge the narratives that we often are taught to believe or that we’re encouraged to believe by society,” she said during an appearance on Live in the D. “They have their families, they have dreams, they have goals, they have aspirations. And sometimes they just need support to help create opportunities to succeed.”
Partnerships are central to COTS’ approach, including its Passport to Self-Sufficiency framework, which connects families to resources in housing, employment and education. “COTS is big on partnership, and Soup City is an example of that partnership,” Morrell-Ferguson said. “We have a lot of restaurants and sponsors and entertainers that come together to bring attention to the cause and the mission.”
Among the culinary partners is the Detroit Institute of Gastronomy, represented by Chef Jeremy Abbey. “We really don’t know yet,” Abbey said with a laugh when asked what he’ll serve at this year’s event. “But we brought some of our favorites from the Detroit Institute of Gastronomy’s curriculum… a nice navy bean with ham, topped with a little bit of sour cream, and then [a] vegan carrot, ginger, and coconut milk.”
Abbey said the institute’s involvement goes beyond a single night. “It’s just such a great organization with their passport to self-sufficiency and really just trying to provide them some support wherever we can,” he said. “And if it’s taking a night out on a Thursday to have a good time and serve the people some soup, you know, we’re all in.”
He added that Soup City’s theme reflects the broader power of food. “Food is the great connector,” Abbey said. “Food knocks down all barriers of politics, religion, color. Everybody eats, and everybody can connect over food.”
The fundraiser takes place January 22nd at 6pm inside The Roostertail in Detroit. For more information or to purchase tickets to Soup City 2026 Detroit Edition, visit cotsdetroit.org.