Jusst Sooup ministry home on the ranch

Three years ago in August 2011, a week that brought an earthquake, a hurricane and a tornado to the Cape Region also brought a whirlwind of generosity, as area residents and businesses came together to build Jusst Sooup Ranch, a home for the Rev. Dale Dunning’s Jusst Sooup ministry,.

The ranch came with a commercial-style kitchen where Dunning could make the soups that for years she has distributed from churches across Sussex County, feeding literally thousands of people.

Built as an episode of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” the ranch was constructed by Schell Brothers with assistance from numerous local businesses and hundreds of volunteers.

Soon after it was completed, it became apparent all was not well: Jusst Sooup Ranch was located on land not zoned to allow volunteers to help Dunning prepare and serve soup.

Dunning continued to cook as she has always done, transporting kettles of soup to churches that feed the hungry.

Earlier this summer, her ministry suffered yet another setback: members of Rehoboth Presbyterian Church of Midway on Route 1, Dunning’s busiest and most prominent site in the Cape Region, became concerned about the ministry.

Rather than disturb members of a church that had long been her home, Dunning retreated. She now says when God closed that door, he opened another.

Amid a flurry of activity, her ranch has officially been designated a church; proper parking and other requirements are in place, and Dunning is now permitted to practice her ministry and serve soup at the ranch her neighbors built.

It has been a longer-than-expected journey, but the region’s invisible residents now have a visible refuge, and the generosity and community spirit that built Jusst Sooup Ranch have finally blossomed.