What is the next big celebration after the new year?? If you guessed the Super Bowl then you’re right! Last year the Super Bowl had approximately 98.2 million tv viewers and approximately 46% of people in the U.S. attended or hosted a Super Bowl party. Now, what if all of those people could come together to create a change in their community?? It’s easier than you think!
Souper Bowl of Caring is an organization that is “empowering youth and uniting communities to tackle hunger using the energy of the Big Game” (Souper Bowl of Caring Mission Statement). Souper Bowl of Caring encourages participants to help fight the hunger crisis within their own communities through food or monetary donations collected. There is no need to collect your donations and ship them to Souper Bowl of Caring. Every donation collected stays in the local communities where participants live and participants can choose where their donations go!
Most people organize some sort of collection, through school, church, or even their neighborhood, in the weeks leading up to or on Super Bowl Sunday. Robyn from Jackson, WY shared with us that, “The youth I work with have donated funds to Habitat (for Humanity) because in Jackson food insecurity often stems from the cost of housing, Hole Food Rescue, the Jackson Hole Cupboard (food bank), and even One22 (serving emergency needs). The youth have placed donation boxes in local restaurants. They also have a competition with donation boxes at church where donors can “vote” for their favorite football team (by placing donations next to the team they want to win)”. What’s really cool about Souper Bowl of Caring is that, as a participant, you’ll see the direct impact you have on your community. You can even volunteer with the organization you donate to and help distribute your donations to those in need!
Participation does require (free) registration, but upon registering you will receive Souper Bowl of Caring’s “Playbook” which is a packet of resources to help your event be successful and spread the word. Through your registration, you’re also able to report your collection amount to add to the national total. It’s pretty awesome to see how your collections contribute to the overall effort to help fight hunger and poverty across the nation. Fun fact: many NFL teams support Souper Bowl of Caring by hosting their own food collections in their cities or contributing through monetary donations! One of the ways Souper Bowl of Caring is able to provide free materials to you is through NFL team donations!
