A group of women known as The Soup Ladies, beloved across the Pacific Northwest for their selfless service to first responders, are now facing harassment after serving meals to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers at the Portland federal facility.
The nonprofit, featured on NBC News in 2020 for its humanitarian work during natural disasters, has spent more than two decades feeding police, firefighters, and search and rescue teams in some of the most grueling conditions imaginable. Founded by Ginger Passarelli in the early 2000s and galvanized by her volunteer work during Hurricane Katrina, the Washington-based nonprofit The Soup Ladies is composed of devoted volunteers who give their time, energy and resources to ensure those working on the front lines receive a warm, home-cooked meal at no cost.
AWFUL: The famous @SoupLadies, who travel around the country feeding first responders, tell me they are being targeted and harassed with vile messages for feeding federal agents at the @ICEgov facility in Portland. pic.twitter.com/XNg6iCzfJN
— Brandi Kruse (@BrandiKruse) October 28, 2025
But kindness has somehow become controversial. After photos of their pink food truck surfaced online, The Soup Ladies were inundated with hateful phone calls, threats, and negative online reviews simply for offering soup to federal officers doing their jobs. “I’ve had over a hundred phone calls from midnight last night until now,” Passarelli said. “People have been taking pictures of our truck when we come and go.”
A post on TikTok showing the Soup Ladies arriving at the ICE site accused the nonprofit of “feeding the Gestapo,” sharing Passarelli’s contact information and urging others to flood the organization’s reviews.
@rojaloca133 #duet with @Almond milk #greenscreen #fyp ♬ original sound - Almond milk
The post quickly spread, prompting a surge of harassing calls and hundreds of negative Google and Facebook reviews. Commenters left insults and accusations, calling the women “Nazis” and “bootlickers” for serving federal agents.
The harassment has deeply affected the group, many of whom are grandmothers who have volunteered their time for years. Supporters have since rallied to their defense, describing the attacks as cruel and unjustified. “They were just trying to feed people doing their jobs,” one supporter said. “These ladies have helped firefighters, police, and rescue workers for decades. They don’t take sides—they serve soup.”
The Soup Ladies have long maintained that their mission is nonpolitical. Passarelli, who goes by “Mama Passarelli,” has led her team to disaster zones across the country, including the Oso landslide and Hurricane Katrina. The group often shows up at scenes where first responders are working long hours without access to hot meals. Their motto is simple: everyone working to help in a crisis deserves kindness and nourishment.
Despite the wave of hostility, Passarelli says they plan to continue their work. The volunteers have received an outpouring of support from people across the country who have left positive reviews and donations to counter the negativity. Many have expressed outrage that a group of women serving soup could become a target for online abuse.
For Passarelli and her team, the experience has been a painful reminder of how polarized the country has become—but it hasn’t changed their hearts. “We’ve always just wanted to show kindness,” she said. “Now, for doing what we’ve always done, we’re being attacked. But we’re not going to stop serving.”
That such a kind and charitable group of senior women would become the target of hate and harassment is nothing short of disgraceful. These volunteers have spent years serving others through some of the worst disasters our region has ever faced—expecting nothing in return—and now find themselves bullied online simply for showing compassion. It’s a sad reflection of how divided our culture has become when even feeding people can spark outrage.
