Youth Give Back at Souper Bowl

Written by: droseborough | 02/08/2012

Teens also hear from retired NFL player during day of service.

By Brittany Penland
bpenland@charlotteobserver.com
By Brittany Penland The Charlotte Observer
Posted: Sunday, Feb. 05, 2012

Teenage twins Carson and Zack Sisk felt they should volunteer more often after witnessing homeless women and children struggling to find food and basic clothing.
The Sisks, along with 110 other middle- and high-school-age students, gathered Saturday morning at Myers Park Baptist Church to give back through Souper Bowl of Caring - a national service project for teens that helps fight hunger and poverty in their own communities, said Gerri Fieno, North Carolina director of Souper Bowl of Caring.
"We have a lot, and there are people who don't," said Zack, 14, of Charlotte. "It's important to look at it from their perspective. By us helping, that's a day they don't have to go hungry."
This is the second year the project has been in Charlotte. Last year, N.C. Souper Bowl participants collected $328,352 in cash and food for charities.
Teens kicked off the day of service with breakfast and listened to retired NFL cornerback Steve Israel speak about the importance of serving others in the community. Israel began in the NFL in 1992 and played for teams including the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots.
"What we're doing, what you're doing, exemplifies what Christ has done," Israel said to the crowd. "You're to be commended for coming out on a Saturday morning because it's a humongous blessing for the people you are serving."
Following breakfast, teens went to serve at Crisis Assistance Ministry, Salvation Army Center of Hope, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina and the Urban Ministry Center.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/02/05/2986781/youth-give-back-at-souper-bowl.html#storylink=cpy