Soup & Bread is an event at a bar in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood – The Hideout – where anyone who wanders in can get a free meal of soup and bread the first Wednesday of every month during Chicago’s chilly season.

Organizer Martha Bayne said it’s not just about showing up and getting some free soup, but to invite people into a “classically third space, where people can come together outside of school or church or work and just share some quality time with each other.”

“This is one of the great community events in Chicago,” one attendee told us, “like, period.”

The Rundown went to check it out last month – to talk with the organizers, soup chefs and attendees – and to figure out how this event has made such a mark on its community over the last 15 years.

Soup & Bread returns to The Hideout on March 6 and April 3 at 6 p.m.