Each year, the Weiser Middle School participates in the nationwide event, Souper Bowl of Caring, which encourages students to bring in donated items. The event began in South Carolina years ago by a church youth group, and the event grew nationwide in less than a decade.
We communicated with Cathy Miller, one of the coordinators of the project, and she explained that a former teacher, Deena Hall, is responsible for bringing the even to Weiser Middle School after she had participated in it for the first time 17 years ago. The event was often started off with the students writing and performing skits with homeroom class. Miller shared that this year, the 8th grade homerooms created posters, slide presentations, and completed other tasks as a group to prepare for the event.
Participating students brought in monetary donations and non-perishable food items like canned fruits and vegetables and pasta during the week before the Souper Bowl. “Participating groups often help to educate others about hunger in our country and community. Prior to 2020, food insecurity had been decreasing, it is currently on the rise again,” explained Miller. With the pandemic, food insecurities have increased dramatically, according to Pamela Burris, who explained this in a recent video promotion for Love INC.
Miller stated that all the donations brought in stay within our community and are donated to local organizations. This year, 2,099 food items were delivered to Love INC of Washington County and a cash donation of $806.50 was given to Rose Advocates in Weiser. Both organizations are nonprofit agencies that provide essential help to our area.
“A long-standing part of Weiser Middle School culture is community service. We are teaching our students they are part of a larger community and how they can be positive contributors to that community. Souper Bowl of Caring is one of the ways we use to help our students feel their contribution matters. This year the 8th grade classes used the event as part of the Gear Up program,” Miller explained. Not only do the students learn what it feels like to be positive contributors to the community we live in, they also learn about food insecurity and how critical of a need it is in our area as well as the country and the world.
The students who participated did a wonderful job preparing and executing the event. The 8th grade team that Miller mentioned were Marie Thomas, Jennifer Weldon, Ryan Alder, Zach rose, Jade VanNess, and Sara Worthley who also worked hard to plan the event. “We also cannot forget the legacy left us by Deena Hall,” Miller shared. Nicol Mink and Cathy Miller coordinated the 4-H club, who gathered to sort and deliver all of the food donations.
A big thank you to everyone who participated in the successful Souper Bowl of Caring 2021!
