Your Name: Sarah Hulslander
Your Group: Bethany Lutheran Church
Location: Cherry Hills Village, CO
Years Participated: 9
This Year: Collected $1,847 and 5,227 pounds of food for Metro CareRing
Way to go, Bethany Lutheran Church! Thank you for being a long-time participant and really believing in our mission.How did you hear of Souper Bowl of Caring?
We have participated since 1997. I believe the first year we got involved because of a mailing sent to us.
Why did you choose to join the Souper Bowl of Caring team?
We have partnered with a local hunger relief organization - Metro CareRing - for years. The Souper Bowl of Caring event provided another way to connect our congregation with them and to raise awareness of the issue of hunger in our community.
What does your group do to participate in the Souper Bowl of Caring movement?
The last couple of years we have had congregation members at our local King Soopers grocery stores to collect the food items most needed by Metro CareRing. We do this on Saturday when a lot of people are out shopping for their Super Bowl parties. Then on Sundays we have kids with soup pots collect money at the end of each worship service. We usually have two pots at each door - one with each Super Bowl team logo on it. Then the congregation "votes" with their dollars for their favorite team. We provide updates after each collection as to who is "ahead" so the next group can bring their team up.
What have you found is most successful for raising cash and food items?
Being at the grocery stores on Saturday has really raised our amount of food (and cash) donations by the general public.
Was there any particularly meaningful or moving story from your collection you would like to share?
There are often people who are shopping at the stores that tell us that they have either used Metro CareRing's services in the past or have been food insecure in the past so they want to pay it forward.
Tell us a little about where you donate your collection to.
Metro CareRing operates Denver's largest hunger-relief program serving families. Their diverse approach to fighting hunger includes a fully stocked fresh-foods shopping market, healthy living and nutrition education, and tools and resources for self-sufficiency. They are passionate about providing nutritious food to those who face economic hardships and helping them become self-reliant.
Are there any resources you feel Souper Bowl of Caring could develop to enhance your collection?
No, not really. The resources we get are great.
What does participating in Souper Bowl of Caring mean to your group?
It gives us another avenue to raise awareness in our church and in our community of the hunger issues.
What does it mean to you?
It means a great event that we get to participate in. It's exciting to see how much is collected all over the U.S. for hunger.
