By Crystal Thompson
The national Souper Bowl of Caring fundraiser is in it's eighth year of raising money for the hungry on Super Bowl Sunday.
The Souper Bowl of Caring began in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1990 and went national by 1993. It is a grassroots faith-based drive led by local church youth, which last year raised $3.1 million from more than 11,000 congregations in North America.
The Souper Bowl of Caring is a simple drive in which youth from each church stand at the exit doors and collect money in large soup cauldrons, then send all the proceeds directly to a local charity.
The First Presbyterian Church in Havre held their Souper Bowl of Caring fundraiser a week early this year, due to a scheduling conflict. Although the weather caused church attendance to drop last Sunday, those who came were very generous, according to church secretary Gail Alex. "We were happy with what we got," Alex said.
This year First Presbyterian will donate all monetary and food donations to Sister Judith Maender of St. Jude's Catholic Church. Sister Maender offers assistance to those in need throughout the community.
The Souper Bowl of Caring gives people a chance to put into perspective the money spent on the Super Bowl, in comparison to the money so many people lack to purchase necessities such as food and clothing. It is a chance to give something back to the community and to help those who may otherwise go hungry. For more information on the program, or to find totals from this area, visit www.souperbowl.org.
