A nationwide charity event is to take place on Sunday that will mobilize churches, organizations, and individual volunteers to fight hunger, dovetailing with the day of Super Bowl Sunday.
The annual event called Souper Bowl of Caring started as a grassroots movement in Columbia, SC in the 1990's that began with "a simple prayer: "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.'" This sparked a youth-led nationwide charity event that inspires people to donate money and food to local charities to help those in need. 100 percent of the donations go to the donor's specified hunger relief charity, the organization states.
"Each year, our organization gains new partners and spokespeople who are able to really amp up our movement in cities across the country," Melissa Daigneault, the national community relations manager for the event, told the Christian Post. "Last year, we were able to raise $8.1 million in cash and food items for charities across the country. This year, our goal is to generate close to $9 million."
"Groups can be made up of people from schools, churches, businesses or even just compassionate individuals. Last year, out of the 6,782 groups that reported, 5,154 were church affiliated," she continued, according to Christian Post.
As of Friday afternoon, 200 groups have pledged to participate and $1.2 million have been donated in cash and food items, according to Souper Bowl of Caring's website.
Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest day of food consumption in the U.S. after Thanksgiving, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"One-hundred-and-forty million people will tune in to watch the big game, while 48 million Americans struggle to find their next meal. If each of us gave just $1 or one food item, we could make giant plays in tackling hunger," said Daigneault.
