When actor Larry Thomas landed the iconic role of “Soup Nazi” on the sitcom Seinfeld, he never imagined it would lead to a decades-long charitable mission with a deli in B.C.’s Lower Mainland—some 2,000 kilometres from his California home. It started with an email from Leona Green, the founder of New Westminster’s Greens & Beans, asking if he would like to come help serve soup for a fundraiser supporting survivors of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. “I just thought, ‘Oh my god, that’s perfect!’ It was exactly what I was wishing for,” Thomas explains. He says the email arrived in his inbox on the same morning his acting class was challenged to find ways to use their fame to support charitable causes. Twenty years later, Thomas is returning to Greens & Beans Sunday to portray the Soup Nazi for a fundraiser benefiting the victims of last month’s Lapu Lapu Festival attack. “This is of particular emotional cause for me, because it wasn’t nature that did this,” says Thomas, who has now helped Greens & Beans with multiple fundraisers—including for Hurricane Katrina and B.C. wildfire relief. “When it’s caused by a human being … it’s so much worse.” On April 26, a vehicle rammed through the Filipino street festival in South Vancouver, killing 11 people and injuring several more. It hit the Green family hard, as Leona’s son and business partner Matthew is married to a Filipino woman. “We knew people at the festival who left right before the attack,” Matthew Green explains. “When we heard of this tragedy, we wanted to do something to help.” So the Greens called Thomas and organized a fundraiser for this Sunday. It will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the deli at 143 E. Columbia St., and all soup will be sold by donation. Several companies, including Sysco and That Vancouver Soup Guy, have donated supplies, and all of Thomas’ travel costs are being covered by the Green family. “New Westminster is kind of like an adopted city of mine,” says Thomas. “At one point, the mayor wrote me a letter to help me get temporary residency to get into Canada. I still have it. It’s a treasured thing.” Outside of fundraisers, Greens & Beans operates on a no-tip policy, instead offering patrons the chance to pitch in on community projects the deli takes on—from building a playground to installing bike racks and supporting the nearby Royal Columbian Hospital. “I grew up in the city of New Westminster, and when you give to your community, your community will give back to you,” Green explains. “That’s how my mom raised me.” Leona’s charitable nature is why Thomas says he’ll always answer her calls for help, even though he claims he’s not as good at serving soup as his Seinfeld character. “I have a tendency to spill it all over my hands,” says Thomas, who is grateful that his portrayal of the Soup Nazi has allowed him to make a difference. “It’s been such a gratifying thing that I never thought of or planned on when I decided to become an actor,” he explains. “This wasn’t anything I had in my mind—that one day, even though I don’t have enough money to make a difference for a charitable cause, my presence can do something.”
