Churches in Missouri ready for Souper Bowl of Caring

More than 200 churches in Missouri participated in last year's Souper Bowl of Caring, and many area churches will seek donations again this year.

Last year churches from Charleston, Mo., to Cape Girardeau collected moneys for area food pantries on Super Bowl Sunday. Congregations across the state raised more than $50,000.

The Souper Bowl of Caring is a national event that includes youth from more than 10,000 different churches. The concept is simple: each parishioner puts $1 into an empty soup pot after Sunday's worship service. The money goes to a local charity of the church's choice. Some churches ask parishioners to bring canned goods instead of cash, or to do both.

Admission to the Super Bowl Sunday party for youth at La Croix United Methodist Church is one can of food. The cans will be distributed through the church's food bank.

Westminster Presbyterian Church also is collecting donations after its Sunday service.

The Souper Bowl effort raised $3.1 million in 2002, with the money being distributed to organizations in all 50 states, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Puerto Rico and the Marshall Islands.

Since the Souper Bowl began in 1990, more than $16 million has been collected to help those in need. "The Souper Bowl of Caring encourages youth," said the Rev. Brad Smith, founder and executive director. "It helps them see they can make a difference in the world and have a positive impact on the lives of others."

The event began as a grassroots effort at a South Carolina church. The youth there wanted to help fight poverty and hunger so they organized the collection, which developed into a much larger project just a year later.

Now there is even a Souper Bowl service blitz on the day before the Super Bowl game. Youth are able to provide hands-on help to soup kitchens and food banks as they work to fight hunger in their communities.

Last year about 500 groups with 7,000 youth participated in the second Souper Bowl Service Blitz. This year Souper Bowl organizers hope to see 10,000 youth volunteering their time.

"We believe the Souper Bowl concept is a gift from God," Smith said. "Our role is to enable young people all over the country to put God's love in action and to allow every dollar they collect to directly impact the charities they care most about."

Churches are asked to send collection totals to the Web site www.souperbowl.org for calculation of a national total.

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126