About 120 hungry folks were looking forward to the soup tasting at the Sweden-Clarkson Recreation Center last Saturday, January 27. Listening to conversations on site, they weren’t disappointed.
The event, which was sponsored by the Sweden Senior Association, Inc. (SSAI) and staffed by 40-member volunteers, raised funds for producing and donating quilts and sleeping bags (300 per year), dresses and knitwear to help those in need in Rochester area hospitals, battered women’s shelters, nursing homes and foreign countries. The Sweden Senior Singers, who perform at area locations, also benefited from the Souper Bowl proceeds.
Who wouldn’t want to sample hot soup on a winter day? Many, many thanks to the following eateries who made it possible by each donating two gallons of their delicious signature soups for the occasion:
Abe’s Restaurant, 58 Main BBQ & Brew, Lifetime Assistance Food Service, Brockport Diner, Golden Eagle Restaurant, Madeleine’s at Heritage Square, Coleens Kitchen, Grinds 122 Cafe, Millhouse Family Restaurant, Farmers Table/Partyka Farms, Java Junction, The Red Bird Cafe, Fazool’s Casual Italian Kitchen, Jimmy Z’s, Two Brothers Family Restaurant.
Souper Bowl ticket holders each had one vote for their favorite soup. The top three winners were:
#1 – Java Junction: Hungarian Mushroom Soup
#2 – 58 Main BBQ & Brew: Tomato Tortellini Soup
#3 – Farmer’s Table, Hamlin: Vegetable Beef Barley Soup.
We are grateful to others that made donations to Souper Bowl I. They include: Walmart, Wegmans, Dunkin Donuts, Tim Horton’s, Kirby’s Farm Market, Bill Gray’s and the Elderberry Club. The Sweden-Clarkson Recreation staff were on hand to make the event run smoothly.
This first annual Souper Bowl was coordinated by Andrea Perry, Chair of the Brockport Dresses for Girls Around the World program. After the crowd cleared out and the soup pots and tables were cleaned, she said, “Without the hard-working volunteers, it would not have been possible. Bob and Betty Coopenberg were the ‘heart’ of the Souper Bowl; Joyce Henion headed the basket raffle and the very successful baked food sale; the quilters and knitters exhibited and sold their wares, with chorus music playing in the background – right across from the beautiful quilt raffle; and the “soup ladle dippers” were busy, while chatting with their customers during each lunchtime shift. Everyone was awesome!”
The generosity of those who attended and the partnerships with restaurants, sponsors, and volunteers – all helped make SOUPER BOWL I an incredible success.
On to 2019 for SOUPER BOWL II…
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