Leechburg First United Methodist Church to hold 'Souper Bowl Sunday' lunch event

Leechburg United Methodist Church will be holding its first special luncheon on Sunday to help raise awareness about food insecurity.

The event, to be held at the church, is dubbed the “Souper Bowl Sunday Lunch & Special Collections.”

“This is an opportunity to raise awareness for people who suffer from food insecurity,” said Leechburg United Methodist Church pastor Sara Wrona.

A variety of soups and sandwiches will be offered.

The event is a part of a national campaign called the “Souper Bowl of Caring” led by the initiative Tackle Hunger.

The Souper Bowl movement has been around for 30 years. The movement aims to inspire people across the nation to tackle hunger in their communities with events around the NFL’s Super Bowl, to be played this year Feb. 13.

Wrona has participated in Souper Bowl lunches at previous churches. The last one she held was at Vandergrift Church where she previously served as its pastor. She became the pastor of First Methodist Church in Leechburg last summer. The church is also a part of a national movement called “Rise Against Hunger.”

Non-perishable items and monetary donations given at this event will help benefit both the Rise Against Hunger Movement and the Leechburg Food Bank, which is housed in the church’s basement.

”We are delighted to get any donations we receive. We are are really appreciative of this,” said the Rev. Gary Lyon, food bank coordinator and co-pastor at Cross Roads Community Presbyterian Church in Leechburg.

Wrona said an estimated 25 people have registered for the event as of mid-week.

“They missed the sense of belonging, gathering and fellowship,” she said. “People are excited about that aspect.”