PORTLAND — While the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers face off during Sunday’s Super Bowl, young Catholics from around Maine will be busy scoring donations to benefit those in need through the Souper Bowl of Caring.
The annual event, set for Saturday, Feb. 1, and Sunday, Feb. 2, is a weekend of giving and serving during which all donations of food and money will be given to local charities to help tackle hunger in the community. Maine parishes participating include:
St. Michael Parish, Augusta
Youth ministry members at St. Michael Parish will hold soup pots and collect money and food items after all weekend Masses at each of the parish’s churches (St. Mary of the Assumption Church, Augusta; St. Augustine Church, Augusta; St. Joseph Church, Gardiner; Sacred Heart Church, Hallowell; St. Denis Church, Whitefield; St. Francis Xavier Church, Winthrop) with the proceeds going to local soup kitchens, food pantries, and shelters.
All Saints Parish, Brunswick
A collection will be held after all weekend Masses at St. Mary Church in Bath, Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Boothbay Harbor, St. Charles Borromeo Church and St. John the Baptist Church in Brunswick, St. Patrick Church in Newcastle, and St. Ambrose Church in Richmond. Participants are asked to donate $1 and/or a non-perishable food item. All donations collected will go to the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program in Brunswick, the Bath Food Pantry, the ecumenical food pantry in Newcastle, the Waldoboro Food Pantry, the Richmond Food Pantry, and the Boothbay Region Food Pantry.
St. Bartholomew Parish, Cape Elizabeth
Children and teens at St. Bartholomew Parish in Cape Elizabeth will collect donations after weekend Masses at the church. All proceeds will be donated to local food pantries.
Parish of the Precious Blood, Caribou
Parish youth will collect money after weekend Masses at Holy Rosary Church in Caribou and St. Mary Church in Presque Isle. The donations will be split between the Caribou Ecumenical Food Pantry and the Grace Interfaith Food Table in Presque Isle.
St. Gregory Church, Gray
Youth at St. Gregory Church in Gray will collect donations after weekend Masses at the church. All proceeds will be donated to local food pantries.
Parish of the Ascension of the Lord, Kittery
High school students will stand at the exit doors after Masses with soup pots to collect monetary donations and canned goods for local food pantries in Berwick, Kittery, and York. The collections are scheduled for all Masses at three parish churches (St. Raphael Church, Kittery; Our Lady of the Angels Church, South Berwick; and St. Christopher Church, York).
Good Shepherd Parish, Saco
Parish youth, parents, and college students will gather donations at all weekend Masses at four churches (Most Holy Trinity Church, Saco; St. Joseph Church, Biddeford; St. Margaret Church, Old Orchard Beach; and St. Philip Church, Lyman).
St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, Scarborough
Children and teens at St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Scarborough will collect donations after weekend Masses at the church. All proceeds will be donated to local food pantries.
St. John & Holy Cross Parish, South Portland
Children and teens at St. John & Holy Cross Parish in South Portland will collect donations after weekend Masses at Holy Cross Church. All proceeds will be donated to local food pantries.
Since its inception in 1990, churches across America have raised well over $100 million for soup kitchens, food pantries, and other charities through the Souper Bowl of Caring.
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