Washington Souper Bowl
Surpasses Goal
While millions of Americans were football crazed in the two weeks leading up to last Sunday's Super Bowl, the Washington Primary School community was busy making the Souper Bowl of Caring a success by donating 1,240 non-perishable food items to help fight hunger and poverty.
Parents Lisa Hering and Nancy Krisch coordinated the Souper Bowl campaign for the Washington School PTA. The initiative, which sought to "tackle hunger," ran from January 21 through last Friday. Organizers set a goal of collecting 1,000 cans of soup or stew, cereal, dry pasta and similar items and students were up to the challenge.
Food items were piled high in the school lobby. Progress toward the 1,000 item goal was tracked on a green poster graph that rested on a large easel. The graph was designed like a football field and a small football was moved along the graph each day so students could easily note how the campaign was going.
"The Souper Bowl of Caring uses the energy around our nation's biggest sporting event to mobilize and inspire kids to fight hunger and poverty," according to a flyer distributed to promote the initiative. "Students develop a stronger connection to their communities as they collect food for a local charity that provides for those in need."
While some might have wondered if it was possible to collect 1,000 cans of food at a small school such as Washington, the students never hesitated as they sought to meet the challenge. "We exceeded our goal," Mrs. Krisch said. Students cheered when they heard the final number announced over the school's public address system.
"The Washington community has always had a big heart when it comes to helping others in need," Principal Marsha Neville said. "Our students really embraced the drive and felt good about doing their part in lending a hand to our hungry neighbors."
All 1,240 food items were donated to The Helping Hand Rescue Mission, located on Broadway in Huntington Station. It was founded in 1965 by Rev. Rose Marie Gaines, her husband and her mother. According to the organization's website, "After witnessing local poverty conditions first hand, they invested everything they had with the view that if they could help even one person it was worth the investment."
The Mission supplies food, clothing and furniture to needy families, as well as visiting elderly residents and delivering goods to the homes of those unable to come to the group's headquarters. The Mission's main priority is to reach children suffering under impoverished conditions, providing disadvantaged children with educational and character building instruction, school supplies and love.
For more information about the Helping Hand Rescue Mission go to its website at www.hhrm.net or call Rev. Gaines at 351-6996.
"A huge thanks to all at Washington Primary School," Mrs. Hering said.