A warm bowl of soup can ward off the chill of even the coldest February day, and in Johnson County, it can also change lives.
When people come out to the annual Soup Bowl, they do more than just fill their stomachs with a hearty meal. They help support a county-wide effort to provide a more long-lasting sense of warmth — the feeling of having a home of your own.
For the past 15 years, Habitat for Humanity of Johnson County has hosted the Soup Bowl, bringing supporters in to enjoy soups prepared by local chefs and restaurants while raising money for their home-building mission.
What started as a one-time fundraiser has grown into one of the most unique and popular events in Johnson County. People not only get a warm meal served in an artisan-crafted bowl — which every attendee gets to choose and take home with them — but they get help make home ownership a reality for local families in need.
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"It helps us exemplify for the community what community is supposed to be — friends, families, neighbors," said Doug Grant, development coordinator for Habitat for Humanity of Johnson County. "Everyone is getting together to share a good meal and appreciate the arts, to laugh and catch up, all the while lifting up a hardworking family to the opportunity of home ownership."
This year’s Soup Bowl will be 4-7 p.m. Sunday at Scott Hall on the Johnson County fairgrounds. Admission is $25, and includes soup, dessert, drink and a handcrafted bowl to keep.
The Soup Bowl is one of the primary fundraisers for the local Habitat for Humanity chapter, and routinely draws more than 500 people each year. The event brings in more than $20,000 annually to help fund Habitat’s homebuilding projects.
Habitat for Humanity of Johnson County has built 21 homes for families who otherwise could not afford one, selling the houses to them at an affordable rate. Habitat for Humanity is a national nonprofit with chapters, big and small, throughout the country.
The organization partners with area families to provide them with an affordable home. The organization spends about two months building the houses. The new owners receive a 20-year, interest-free mortgage for the house.
New owners are also asked to put down $700 on the house to help cover closing costs. Families also take financial classes and pay “sweat equity” — 300 hours of volunteer labor on their home and other Habitat and community projects. The homeowner is responsible for monthly mortgage payments.
When it first started in 2006, the Soup Bowl was designed as a one-time fundraiser for the county’s newly formed chapter. It was created by a group from Leadership Johnson County, a program that trains local leaders and asks each class to create a project benefiting the community.
The inaugural event was so popular that Habitat for Humanity officials organized it again the following year. Soup Bowl has been going strong ever since.
"We love it. We want it to continue as long as the community will support it," Grant said.
The Soup Bowl concept was inspired by a similar fundraiser in Bloomington. But Johnson County’s version has evolved into its own one-of-a-kind event, particularly through the support of the local arts community.
Grant recruits artists from all over Indiana and the country to craft ceramic, wooden and other styles of bowls to donate. He’s made connections with potters in Brown County and Broad Ripple, forging relationships at art shows and helping them understand what Habitat for Humanity was doing.
Over the past 15 years, he has built a roster of artists who reliably contribute to the event.
"At the end of the night, you get to bring home that beautiful handmade pottery bowl that you picked out. Now, every time you want to have cereal or popcorn or a salad or something, you have it in that bowl because it’s your favorite," he said.
"Talking with people, it reminds them of that evening of community."
Grant remembers that first Soup Bowl, when the crowd was much smaller. But even as the event has grown and changed over the years, the spirit of giving that it was founded on remains constant.
"To me, Habitat has always been about bringing people together to lift each other up to a better life," he said. "This event perfectly exemplifies that."
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Soup Bowl
When: 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday
Where: Scott Hall on the Johnson County Fairgrounds
What: A fundraiser of Habitat for Humanity of Johnson County, bringing some of the areas best restaurants together to serve homemade soup. People can eat as many different soups as they’d like. In addition, attendees get to pick out a handmade ceramic bowl to eat their soup out of.
Cost: Tickets are $25 and include a bowl, all-you-can-eat soup, dessert and a drink.
Information: habitatjohnsoncounty.org
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