Press Release - Thursday, February 01, 2007
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Illinois volunteers raised more than $250,000 last year! Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn will kick-off the event and make the first donation
SPRINGFIELD - Today, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn encouraged young people across Illinois to honor their heroes on the field - the Super Bowl-bound Chicago Bears - by participating in "Souper Bowl of Caring 2007" and becoming "Super Heroes" off the field.
"On Sunday the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts will capture the attention of the nation," Quinn said. "We are proud of our football heroes who will fight for a Super Bowl championship, and I think the players will be just as proud of the Illinois heroes who are fighting to find a solution to hunger."
Souper Bowl of Caring is a worldwide effort, with schools, churches and organizations joining together - regardless of team affiliation - to collect dollars in soup pots on or around Super Bowl Sunday. The money collected is donated to local food banks, soup kitchens, and charities of their choice.
It all started in 1990 with just one church, and since its inception, Souper Bowl of Caring has raised more than $33 million and grown to include groups in all 50 states, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Puerto Rico and the Marshall Islands. In 2006 alone, 489 volunteer teams across Illinois donated more than $250,000 to charities of their choice, and more than 675 Illinois organizations have already registered for 2007.
This year, with all eyes on the Midwest come Super Bowl Sunday, the competition is heating up. The Pastor at 2nd Presbyterian in Indianapolis (Peyton Manning's church) has challenged the Pastor at 4th Presbyterian Church in Chicago to see which congregation can raise the most on Super Bowl Sunday.
"This is a win-win situation," Quinn said. "While our football teams compete on the field, young people in Illinois and Indiana are rolling up their sleeves and working together to combat hunger. This is a chance to show off the spirit and intensity of Midwest football while displaying the character and generosity of our citizens."
Quinn will be joined by Pam Molitoris, executive director of Central Illinois Food Bank, physicians Doug and Cindy Rettig from Quincy, and representatives from Downtown Springfield Inc. and St. Anthony Memorial Hospital in Effingham. Quinn will also be joined by volunteers from: First United Presbyterian Church in Pekin; Laurel United Methodist Church in Springfield; St. Joseph's Church in Chatham; Paris Presbyterian Church in Paris; and McKinley Presbyterian Church in Champaign.
For more information about how to participate in the Souper Bowl of Caring, please visit www.souperbowl.org, or call the Lt. Governor's Office at 312-814-5220.
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