wfn.org | Mother Nature Penalizes Souper Bowl

[PCUSA NEWS <pcusa.news@ecunet.org>]

1-February-2000 
00052 
 
    Mother Nature Penalizes Souper Bowl 
 
    Despite ice, snow and chill, 
    fund-raiser for hungry is on record pace 
 
    by Evan Silverstein 
 
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - While the St. Louis Rams were turning back the Tennessee 
Titans' last-minute comeback bid, Mother Nature was putting the blitz on 
the annual Souper Bowl of Caring. 
 
    Many congregations around the country that usually collect money for 
the anti-hunger campaign after Super Bowl Sunday worship services had to 
close their doors because of inclement weather. 
 
    The organizers of the Souper Bowl, which originated in a Presbyterian 
Church in 1990, are urging congregations forced to cancel Jan. 30 services 
to make the Souper Bowl collections this Sunday, Feb. 6. In the Souper Bowl 
program, young people collect canned goods and ask parishioners to drop one 
dollar or more apiece into large soup cauldrons as they leave worship on 
the morning of Super Bowl Sunday. 
 
    "So many of our churches weren't open yesterday, or not for both 
services," said Pat Alexander, a Souper Bowl volunteer and member of Spring 
Valley Presbyterian Church in Columbia, S.C., where the fund-raiser began. 
"We are encouraging people to bring their donations next week." 
 
    Participating churches phone in their collection totals to Souper Bowl 
officials and send the money directly to the charities of their choice. 
Organizers ask for a phone report so that the national total can be 
determined. 
 
    By Super Bowl evening, contributions for the 11th annual drive totaled 
about $2.2 million. That's well below the $3.5 million goal, though a head 
of last year's totals at this time. 
 
    "We're actually real pleased with the way things are going," said the 
Rev. Brad Smith, who founded the event at Spring Valley Presbyterian. 
"Despite the inclement weather across the deep south, where we have strong 
participation, we're ahead of last year's pace. Our hope is that people who 
didn't have services, or had just a few people in worship, will do it again 
next week and call in their totals." 
 
    Alexander said Souper Bowl officials will continue taking totals from a 
telephone bank provided by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina. 
The final figures for year 2000 are not expected for several weeks. 
 
    Last year, worshipers in all 50 states gave more than $2.5 million. A 
total of 2,314 Presbyterian churches - nearly one-fourth of all PC(USA) 
congregations - took part, contributing $529,183. 
 
    Churches can report their totals by calling 1-800-358-SOUP(7687). For 
additional information, visit the fund-raiser's World Wide Web site: 
www.souperbowl.org.   

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