Harmony church sells soup to raise funds for Ukraine
Camp Run Presbyterian Church in Harmony has less than 30 active members. Its usual Sunday services see only around 15 to 18 people in attendance.
But the little church doesn’t let its small size get in the way.
On a cold morning in March a little over a week ago, March 27, the Friendship Circle, a group of women volunteers within the congregation, met to prepare materials for a fundraiser sale that would benefit the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Ukraine Relief Effort.
The group put together a fundraiser in just under two weeks, and raised $442.77 for the Ukraine Relief Effort by selling homemade vegetable soup along with loaves of home-baked bread.
Valerie Chenet, a member of the congregation who organized the event alongside other Friendship Circle members, said the group had wanted to do a fundraiser of their own after helping out with a number of other churches’ fundraisers in recent years.
“One lady suggested that we would make soup, and another lady suggested that we give a portion of (the proceeds) away,” Chenet said. “We had enough money in our little fund that we could give it all to them, and that’s what we did.”
Stated Supply Pastor Rev. Jim Swanson, the church’s pastor, announced the event at Sunday services the weekend before.
“We’ve had prayers for Ukraine every Sunday for the last month, so it was on their mind,” he said. “The Camp Run congregation is small but vital, (it’s) a welcoming place where faith and friends can be found.”
Chenet and other members of the team reached out to neighbors, co-workers and friends to get the word out about the soup sale. On Sunday morning, even in the cold, the group ended up selling 43 quarts of soup.
“It worked out really well. Everyone in the congregation bought soup, if not more than one,” Chenet said. “It was the perfect weather to eat your soup.”
The Friendship Circle works with other local organizations for community volunteering work, including Meals on Wheels and raising money for families during the Christmas holiday season. Chenet said the group already is looking forward to other potential fundraisers in the future.
“We were already talking about ‘what’s the next type of soup we’re going to make,’” she said.
