‘Worth every minute of work’
Stone Soup luncheon aims to raise $12K for programs helping nonprofits
The Cabe Center at First United Methodist Church of Texarkana, Ark., was full Thursday as the community came out to enjoy the Stone Soup Luncheon.
The luncheon, a project of The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary, consisted of taco soup, salad, Texas toast and a drink. Proceeds from the event benefit projects supported by the auxiliary, including sending children to camp, The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club and buying backpacks and school clothes for children in need.
“It’s been wonderful,” said Janis Stringfellow, chairwoman of Stone Soup. “We’ve got about 150 members and for the last four days we’ve been cooking, decorating and preparing. We hope to have a really big year this year.”
Organizers expected to serve about 800 lunches and hoped to raise between $10,000 and $12,000.
“This is the biggest fundraiser the Women’s Auxiliary has,” said Lt. Bernadett Correira, co-leader of The Salvation Army in Texarkana. “Every single penny goes to the programs we offer. Every year we strive to do better than the year before. These ladies work hard behind the scenes getting everything prepared.”
In addition to soup and all the fixings, auxiliary members also sold a variety of desserts.
“Hopefully we’ll raise $12,000 with our event,” Correira said.
Auxiliary members were thankful for support from the community.
“It’s amazing how the community comes together to support kids, people and nonprofits,” said Emily Bonner, president of the Women’s Auxiliary. “Getting ready for this even is a big job, a very big job. The ladies are wonderful at pitching in and doing the work. The neat thing is this goes for so many great things, it makes it worth every minute of work.”