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Churchgoers lead Patriots to victory in Souper Bowl
By Ambria Hammel, The Catholic Sun
February 21, 2008
The New York Giants won this year’s Super Bowl 17-14, but it’s the New England Patriots that won the Souper Bowl of Caring — and by a much wider margin.
At least that’s what parishioners at St. Andrew the Apostle in Chandler are reporting. The score of their parish “game” — a youth-led cash and canned food drive — was Patriots 171, Giants 144.
St. Andrew was one of 13 parishes in the diocese and 34 statewide that held the Souper Bowl of Caring after all Masses on or around Super Bowl Sunday Feb. 3. Youth at each parish gave all proceeds to a local charity of their choice.
“It’s bringing an awareness to the community that there’s still hunger in the world,” said Barb Lishko, coordinator of youth and young adult ministries at St. Andrew the Apostle.
The parish’s food pantry has already received 81 requests for help this year and given away 105 food boxes.
Teens helped churchgoers re-stock the shelves through the Souper Bowl of Caring. They set up goal posts in the parish courtyard for the Patriots and Giants.
Parishioners chose which team to support and placed their donation at their favorite team’s end zone.
“They are coming up with some great ideas of fun ways to do this,” said Debra Centrella, Arizona director for the nationwide Souper Bowl of Caring, now in its 19th year.
Nearly 30 youth from the Life Teen group at St. Jerome Parish spent two hours in the rain last month on a scavenger hunt around the neighborhood. They asked for items such as tuna or macaroni, which they knew the parish’s local St. Vincent de Paul conference needed.
“I don’t want to get something donated that they can’t use,” youth minister Julie Wollschlager said.
The youth collected more than 1,000 items. The teens handed each donor a thank-you card in return. This marked the first year the teens held the Souper Bowl of Caring.
Changing lives
On top of the food drive, the teens collected money from parishioners after Mass. They stood outside the church sporting football jerseys and holding their helmets upside down with signs reading “Change changes life.” They collected $109 in change.
Half of the funds raised from Corpus Christi’s Souper Bowl will be given to Invisible Children, a group that helps kids affected by ongoing strife in Uganda. The other half will go to the school in the town of Guadalupe where the children often go without many basics.
Ascension Parish in Fountain Hills is the only one in the diocese that reported doing a service project on top of collecting cash. Roughly 15 teens spent a Saturday morning at St. Mary’s/Westside Food Bank Alliance making 1,500 food boxes. They filled each box with game-day essentials and other canned goods.
“It’s something that really helps us connect with why we’re raising money,” said Candace McMillin, the parish’s youth minister.
After seeing the vast need at one local food bank, the teens asked parishioners to donate at least $1 to the Souper Bowl of Caring. The youth raised more than $2,000 for St. Vincent de Paul, Andre House and Maggie’s Place.
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