HUTTO – Area residents drove through and dined in as volunteers dished up hundreds of servings of soup during the Hutto Resource Center’s fifth annual Souper Bowl.
Volunteers from the HRC and Hutto Independent School District staffed the event on Sunday, Feb. 19, at the Hutto Discover United Methodist Church, 350 Ed Schmidt Blvd.
“This is a great opportunity for people to come together, especially over the last two years where we had people that couldn’t get out as much with COVID,” said Felix Chavez, vice president of the board of HRC and a member of the board of trustees of Hutto ISD. “It’s a time for people to come in, enjoy a meal, relax, talk and really congregate.”
Hutto High School culinary arts students, led by their instructor chef Said Farraje, made tomato basil soup and chicken noodle soup, accompanied by bread, dessert and a drink. Hutto fine arts students made one-of-a-kind ceramic bowls. Attendees could purchase tickets online or at the door for a soup meal or their choice of handcrafted bowls. Donna Jones, executive director of the HRC, said the proceeds assist HRC in helping the community.
“Every dollar that we raise today will provide four meals to food-insecure individuals. Food insecurity is not just about having food on the table, it’s about having healthy food that’s going to sustain a child and help them grow and help them function in school,” she said. “We couldn’t do this without Hutto ISD and their participation.”
Jones said that the event had $2,600 in pre-sales, and traditionally many people also buy tickets at the door. This year, the organization is boosting their fundraising efforts with a raffle to win a car.
“We are selling tickets for a brand new 2022 Chevy Spark that we’re giving away in June during our third annual golf tournament. Tickets for that are $100 each and we are only selling 800,” Jones said. “We’re really excited. It’s the first time we’ve taken on something that big.”
HRC board member Morgan Hubbard was directing the group delivering meals to drive-up customers. She said in addition to the food pantry, funds from the event help community members pay utility bills.
“The funds all go back to support the many programs of the HRC. We have a lot of interesting things going on to help the community and this is one of the ways we support those efforts.”
