Souper Bowl of Caring

Souper Bowl of Caring this Sunday
When you come for worship on Sunday, please bring non-perishable food and/or gifts of money to help feed hungry people in Portland.

On this Super Bowl Sunday, we'll participate in a nation-wide effort, called "Souper Bowl of Caring," to help feed hungry people. The idea is simple: all around the country, churches, schools, and community organizations are collecting non-perishable food and financial gifts to support soup kitchens, food pantries, and hunger relief organizations in their local areas. This is a grass-roots, local movement: All of the money collected is donated to a charity selected by the participating organizations - none of the money is sent to Souper Bowl headquarters.

The non-perishable food we collect on Sunday will be given to the Sacred Heart Food Pantry, where Chestnut UMC members volunteer each Tuesday. That ministry is growing by leaps and bounds as the need increases and newly identified food sources provide for fuller shelves. Last month alone, the food pantry was able to assist 146 households representing 453 people. We are feeding hungry people.

Suggested food items include canned soups, canned vegetables, boxed meals like Hamburger Helper, applesauce, canned fruits, peanut butter & jelly, pasta, spaghetti sauce, cooking oil, sugar, macaroni & cheese packages, cereal, tuna fish, fruit juices, salad dressing, salsa, ketchup, mayonnaise, coffee, tea, cocoa -- as well as things like dish detergent, toilet paper, toothpaste, and hand soap.

On Sunday we will also receive financial gifts in a soup kettle, which will be given to Wayside Soup Kitchen on Oxford Street, where we volunteer on the second Monday of each month. Maine's largest soup kitchen, Wayside began in church kitchens and fellowship halls in 1986 and has been providing nutritious meals to the homeless and poor for 23 years.

In 2008, 14,500 groups participated in the Souper Bowl of Caring, generating over $10 million. Since the Souper Bowl of Caring began 20 years ago as the idea of one local church youth group, more than $50 million has been raised to help people in need. Let's do our part for the people of Portland this Sunday!