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MVPs Needed for Annual ‘Souper Bowl’ Fundraiser

photo by: Joselyn King

Baleigh Bobes, left, and Laura Mendoza of the Soup Kitchen of Greater Wheeling make plans for the upcoming “Souper Bowl” fundraiser and dinner event Feb. 1 at the Soup Kitchen.

The Soup Kitchen of Greater Wheeling is asking local youth groups, churches and organizations looking for a winter project to come play for them in the upcoming “Souper Bowl of Giving” event happening now.

Across the nation, groups are being asked this month to go online to the map.tacklehunger.org website to choose a local food charity to support. Members then can donate “Dollars For Dairy” funds through the website so that the food charity can go out and buy needed perishable items, or they can go out and collect food products to bring to the food charity.

Winter coats, hats, scarves and gloves also are needed at this time, added Becky Shilling-Rodocker, executive director for the Soup Kitchen of Greater Wheeling.

To raise additional funds, the Soup Kitchen will host an adult pre-Super Bowl Party on Feb. 1 — the weekend before the big game on Feb. 9. The tailgate-style party isn’t intended for regular patrons, but as a fundraiser for the Soup Kitchen, she explained. Beer will be served, and there will be live music from the New Age Adenas.

All money raised stays local.

It is the 35th year for the nationwide “Souper Bowl of Giving” event, and the 25th year the Soup Kitchen has participated, according to Shilling-Rodocker.

She reported the event netted more than $15,000 for the Soup Kitchen in 2016, but the amount has declined each year since then. Groups haven’t been as interested in participating since the COVID pandemic, Shilling-Rodocker said.

Every food item collected and submitted counts for $1, while money donated is considered separately, she explained. Each clothing item also is counted as a $1 donation.

“We report what was raised (to the national “Souper Bowl of Giving”), but we don’t send it,” she continued. “They put that figure into the till (to determine nationwide figures).”

About 124 million watch the Super Bowl each year, while about 45 million people struggle with hunger, added Soup Kitchen employee Laura Mendoza.

“And if everybody who watches the Super Bowl donates one can of food or $1, then we can make sure everybody has a bowl of soup to eat or something hot to eat,” she said.

Money can be donated to the Soup Kitchen through its website at wheelingsoup.org, or mailed to or brought to the building located at 1610 Eoff St.

Those needing to call the kitchen with questions or for tickets to the pre-Super Bowl party there should call 304-233-2992.

Shilling-Rodocker said she will continue to count the donations brought in during the event through Feb. 28.

“Because we are 100% community-funded, this is a hard time,” she explained. “At Christmas time, we’re gearing toward the end of the year to break even. Then come January, donations come to a halt.

“We start the year with a deficit, and anything we can make throughout the year helps,” Shilling-Rodocker said.

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