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Charities Score For Needy

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By MICHELLE BEARDEN

mbearden@tampatrib.com

Published: January 23, 2009

When Tracy Bender bets on the Super Bowl, it's not about putting money on a favorite team.

Her gamble is on the goodwill and compassion of her fellow human beings.

"Every year, we take a chance that people will come through. And every year, they go over the top," she says.

Bender works for the Souper Bowl of Caring, a South Carolina-based ministry that organizes a giving campaign every Super Bowl Sunday. Churches and schools raise money and food for their local charities, which get 100 percent of the donations.

The grass-roots movement, which began in 1990 with a youth group from a Presbyterian church in Columbia, S.C., has generated more than $50 million for food banks, soup kitchens and other programs that serve the needy.

With the big game coming Feb. 1 to Raymond James Stadium, local participation in the Souper Bowl has nearly doubled since 2008.

Of the 17,000 churches and schools registered so far, 161 churches are in the Tampa Bay area, up from 90 last year. Anyone who registers by Tuesday will be mailed materials by the Souper Bowl staff; after that, participants can download instructions at souperbowl.org.

Participants are asked to report what they've collected so ministry staff can keep a tab of the donations.

"It's so easy to do," says Theresa Franks, youth minister at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in South Tampa. "The best part is, whatever we collect goes directly to the charity of our choice. There's no expense or middleman involved."

St. Patrick's, 4518 S. Manhattan Ave., will set up a drop-off center for nonperishable goods in its parking lot from 4 to 6 p.m. Jan. 31 and 8 a.m. to noon Feb. 1. Donations will be distributed to St. Vincent de Paul annexes.

This is the church's second year as a participant.

"It's an awareness thing," Franks says. "There's a lot of excess going on that week, with parties and everything. This is a chance to spend money on something that will benefit those who need it most."

Keeping the Souper Bowl simple is a key to getting churches and schools involved, Bender says. For those that don't have the space or volunteers to oversee a donation site, she recommends asking for a $1 donation.

"Cash-strapped charities need money more than ever these days, to stock their shelves, for gas, to pay their own utilities so they can stay open to serve," she says.

The Souper Bowl's ultimate goal: to transform the Super Bowl weekend into two days of giving and serving.

"Imagine if every one of the estimated 100 million who watched the game gave a dollar to a charity," she says.

First Baptist Church in Brandon is trying out its own Super Bowl-linked fundraiser called The Hope Project.

From 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 1, the public can stop by the church at 216 N. Parsons Ave. to make a donation.

Among the needs: nonperishable foods, gift cards to drugstores, personal toiletry items, vouchers for dental work or haircuts, and paper plates and plastic utensils. Go to fbcbrandon.org for a complete list of needs.

The church's homeless ministry team will distribute the donations to local charities.

"There's so much focus and limelight on the famous and the well-off during Super Bowl week. Our intention was to put some of that attention on people who are hurting or are neglected," says Myles Dowdy, a church minister.

First Baptist will also host a Super Bowl Pep Rally on Wednesday for about 150 churches in the Tampa Bay Baptist Association.

"With the Super Bowl coming to Tampa, what better time to put the spotlight on something that can make a good impact in our community?" he says.

That's the plan for Somebody Cares Tampa Bay, a Clearwater-based ministry and one of the sponsors of Supper Bowl II, which hopes to Roll in the Dough for area organizations that serve the needy.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, 24 teams are scheduled to take part in a bowling fundraiser at Splitsville at Channelside in Tampa. ESPN radio will broadcast live from the event, which includes sports figures and celebrities.

They hope to raise $100,000 for 20 local charities.

"It's a good time of year to have a fundraiser, because supplies are down after the holidays," says Daniel Bernard, Somebody Cares president. "Since Super Bowl Week officially kicks off this weekend, we wanted to put on an event that the whole family could attend and afford."

Free items and discounts to the Florida Aquarium will also be given out, Bernard says.

Bernard says the needs are greater than ever. His operation has had to trim staff, reduce office space, and participate in fewer feeding programs.

"There's less food and more people who need it," he says. "It's great the Super Bowl is coming to the Tampa Bay area, so let's use this moment in the spotlight to show the world the goodness of God in our city. The best way to do that is to help our neighbors."

For more information on Supper Bowl II, go to sctb.org.

Reporter Michelle Bearden can be reached at (813) 259-7613.

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