People pick out artist-created bowls during the 2018 Habitat for Humanity of Johnson County Soup Bowl. This year’s fundraiser will be a carry-out event on Feb. 27.
DAILY JOURNAL FILE PHOTO
A steaming bowl of chicken noodle, tomato basil or cheddar broccoli soup can help disperse even the most numbing winter chill.
Organizers of the annual Soup Bowl have seen it in action for more than 15 years. The fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity of Johnson County routinely draws more than 500 people each year, generating more than $20,000 annually. Add in the opportunity to take home a one-of-a-kind artist-created ceramic bowl, and the event is a draw all on its own.
But with each nourishing spoonful, attendees are helping local families get into their forever homes.
“An event like the Soup Bowl is a chance for everybody to come together and pick each other up,” said Doug Grant, development coordinator for Habitat for Humanity of Johnson County. “This is what community is all about — people come together, enjoy each other’s company and at the same time, work toward a common goal of making a better place to live.”
Soup, socializing and civic service come together each year during the Soup Bowl. From 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, people will be able to come to Scott Hall on the Johnson County fairgrounds, pick out their own ceramic soup bowl and select a soup to take home with them.
The format is a departure from the massive gatherings that were common during the fundraiser prior to the pandemic, said Lee Ann Wilbur, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Johnson County. But after being forced to host a drive-through-only Soup Bowl in 2021, any step closer to normalcy feels good.
“There are people who have been coming to this for years. So trying to get it started back up in any way is a real plus, not only for Habitat but for our community,” she said.
Misty Bruhn can see the better life that awaits her family.
For the first time in their lives, she and her four children will have a home of their own. The kids will have a wide open space to play in, rooms to decorate and relax in, and a kitchen where everyone can gather.
“It means the world to me. Every kid needs a backyard to run around in and a room of their own,” Bruhn said in October while helping construct her home.
Bruhn’s home in New Whiteland was the 23rd build for families who otherwise could not afford one. The organization — part of a national nonprofit with chapters, big and small, throughout the country — sells the houses to families at an affordable rate.
Habitat for Humanity 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 to help cover closing costs. The homeowner is responsible for monthly mortgage payments once the home is finished.
Families also take financial classes and pay “sweat equity” — 300 hours of volunteer labor on their home and other Habitat and community projects.
Builds also bring together volunteers from local businesses, churches, civic organizations and schools to help physically construct the house.
“We have helped a lot of families with kids who now have a really nice home,” Wilbur said. “But besides that, we’ve brought together the community to do that. It’s not just our organization building a house, it’s thousands of volunteers. It’s pretty amazing to look at what we have done.”
Since the Johnson County chapter formed in 2006, the Soup Bowl has been a key fundraiser for the organization. The event was designed as a one-time fundraiser 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 Habitat for Humanity officials organized it again the following year. Soup Bowl has been going strong ever since.
The 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 has worked closely with artists from all over the region to get unique pieces to serve the soup in. The opportunity to pick out their own artwork to go with their soup is one of the most exciting aspects of the event.
“People love to pick out that perfect bowl that calls to you,” Grant said.
That aspect will remain for this year’s event. The main change is that people will come in and pick out their bowl. Organizers have also gathered close to 40 larger pieces of pottery from participating artists, which will be part of a silent auction along with quilts and other items.
Then attendees will get to choose a to-go soup donated by local restaurants to take home and eat.
“Not being able to have our Soup Bowl the way it normally is, where everyone comes and sits and hugs, it has been kind of devastating to us. But we absolutely would not want anyone to get sick, so we erred on the side of caution,” Wilbur said. “Just to be able to ramp it back up so that people can pick out their bowls, that’s a main part of our event, besides the fellowship and everything else.”
