The Souper Bowl of Caring

Notes From Christian Education

As Superbowl Sunday approaches, many of us are anticipating watching the big game with family and friends, and with, of course, a wide selection of snacks and treats readily at hand to insure, no doubt, that all of our senses will be amply satisfied.  For some of us, it's the game itself, and for others it's those outrageous commercials that the advertisers paid millions of dollars for that we look forward to.  But let us not forget that there is a significant part of the population that does not get to participate in this extravagance.   There are homes where there are no snacks on the table,  places where the refrigerator, in fact, is nearly empty.  There are people who do not have a refrigerator they can come home to, empty or not.  Some do not even have a home. 

And then there are those who are insecure.  They may be doing OK for now, but who knows what will happen next week.  They are getting by, but just barely.  That is, until the bill from the clinic arrives, or the landlord raises the rent.  Some have to make the awful choice between buying their medications and having enough food in the house.  For some, the unemployment benefits have run out, and there is still no work in sight.

It's for these reasons that the Souper Bowl of Caring was established.  It is a nationally coordinated campaign, inspired and supported by youth, to help raise our awareness of the needs of hungry people in our world, and especially in our own community.  Young people in our own church are participating.  They are encouraging you to make a donation, either cash or in the form of non-perishable food items, to be collected in church on or before Souper Bowl Sunday.  100% of these donations go to our own local food pantries (i.e. Human Concerns, Salvation Army). 

Here are some facts, courtesy of the national website:  One in seven households in this country are “food insecure”.  None of the dollars or equivalent value of the food items you donate in the Souper Bowl campaign go toward administrative costs on the national level.  It all goes to the local charities in the communities where it was collected.  In fact, last year, nationally over $9 million was collected in cash and food items to be distributed to needy households as a result of the Souper Bowl of Caring campaign.  For more information visit http://www.souperbowl.org/.

Let's not forget those who are less fortunate than ourselves and give generously this year.

Yours in Christ, Kent Dristle Christian Education Committee