Nation to see Sussex County at its best

The national spotlight has come to Sussex County this week as “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” arrived to build a complex of buildings for Sussex County soup lady Dale Dunning’s Jusst Sooup Ministry.

The nation will soon learn Dunning’s story: Her ministry began when she made a single pot of soup for a Bible study group; four years later she’s making 175 gallons of soup every week. She estimates she has served more than 50,000 people over the past four years  – and now it turns out that is only the beginning.

With help from the extreme makeover team, Schell Brothers and more than a thousand of Sussex County volunteers, she will have a new home for her ministry and much more space to help homeless and hungry people.

The Dunnings’ efforts demonstrate what one family can accomplish to make the Cape Region a better place.

Just when the home makeover event is generating excitement and a growing sense of community spirit, Coca-Cola has sponsored a contest to determine the nation’s most popular park and will present  $100,000 to the winner.

That, of course, will be Cape Henlopen State Park, but only if the park can garner enough votes. Right now, Cape Henlopen is in 98^th place, more than 2 million votes behind first-place Oak Park in North Dakota.

But what’s 2 million votes? As small as Delaware is, our state still has more people than North Dakota!

Post photos of your family enjoying the park to the contest website, and the park will earn five votes for each shot. You can also cast a single vote at  www.livepositively.com. Vote soon and vote often! The contest ends Tuesday, Sept. 6.

We have a long way to go, but Cape Henlopen State Park moved up from 107^th to 98^th in less than a week.  Drawing a lesson from the Dunning family, everyone can help make a difference, and now is the time.

Volunteer to help build the new Jusst Sooup complex and show a national audience how Sussex County helps its own. Then vote for Cape Henlopen State Park and prove to the nation the nation’s best park is right here in the Cape Region.