Souper Bowl of Caring

Sunday school students from the Port Allegany United Methodist Church will be at the Shop-n-Save after school on Friday until 7 p.m. to collect soup, crackers and cash donations for the annual Souper Bowl of Caring.  All donations will be given to PACS (Port Allegany Community Services).  

According to Wikipedia, Souper Bowl of Caring is youth across the nation working to fight hunger and poverty in their own communities around the time of the Super Bowl football game.  The Souper Bowl of Caring began in 1990 with a simple prayer said by Reverend Brad Smith of Spring Valley Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina:  "Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat."   Twenty-two churches raised $5,700 in the first year.  The number of groups involved has steadily grown each year and so has the amount raised and put back into the communities.  

The Souper Bowl of Caring website reports in 2014, $8,452,907 cash and food items were collected with $4,997,642  cash; 1,593,900 food items and 1,861,207 pounds of food.  There were 7,643 participating groups helping 6,519 charities.

To participate in the 2015 Souper Bowl of Caring, donations may be dropped off at the church located at 307 North Main Street during the week or brought to the Port Allegany Shop-n-Save on Friday, January 30th.  

Pictured are SS students (left to right) Makayla Alcorn, Nick Wilfong, Henry Kisler, Owen Kisler, Lillianne Reed and Kierra Keck.