Lunch with Friends Paints Souper Bowls

It was a packed morning for the June 21st Lunch with Friends held at the Marco Lutheran Church. The blessing was given by Reverend Daphne Johnson of Wesley United Methodist Church. She came to say goodbye to her Marco friends as she is leaving to be the new pastor at the Lighthouse United Methodist in Boca Grande, Florida. We wish her good luck with her new assignment.

It is never too early to paint 800 soup bowls for the highly anticipated 2024 Souper Bowl event. The Marco Island Area Chamber of Commerce will be hosting its 10th Annual Souper Bowl event on Saturday, February 10th at Mackle Park. There will be a pre-sale of bowls on Friday, February 9th, in the afternoon. These are one-of-a-kind works of art bowls; each year, you can add them to your collection. 

Lunch With Friends and guests got into the spirit early by painting ceramic bowls for the February 2024 Souper Bowl Event. Paints, soup bowls and brushes were provided for a fun and creative afternoon. Once finished, the bowls were collected and will be given a finish and fired up. According to Dianna Dohm, Executive Director of the Marco Island Chamber of Commerce, if your club would like to participate in “painting the bowls,” you can let her know by calling the Marco Chamber of Commerce at 239-394-7549. Last year, they almost ran out of bowls - participants were waiting in line even before the gate opened at 11:00 AM.

Thanks to Barbara Canton of Affairs to Remember Catering for the delicious restaurant-worthy shrimp etouffee (pronounced eh-too-fey). Lunch was sponsored by the Florida Stone Crabbers Association (FSCA). We are all familiar with the fresh and delicious stone crabs from Kirks Fish Company in Goodland. FSCA was formed to represent the stone crab industry to ensure the longevity of the industry. Allyson Richards introduced the three board members of the FSCA:

Holly Dudley is the daughter of an Everglades City stone crab fisherman and is the wife of a commercial stone crabber.

Kelly Kirk literally grew up on the dock with her parents and is the fifth generation of a local fishing family. In 2013, she became part owner of Kirk Fish Company in Goodland. Kirk is an outstanding spokeswoman for the FCSA.

Carrie Doxsee works alongside her husband Daniel Doxsee, a fourth-generation stone crabber for almost ten years and very dedicated to preserving not only the stone crab population but also the sustainability of the stone crab industry.

Thanks to all the volunteers from the Marco Island Woman’s Club, Our Daily Bread Food Pantry, Al’s Pals, the YMCA and the door prize donors! 

Please Save the Date: Lunch with Friends takes place the third Wednesday of the month, 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Marco Lutheran Church. Please RSVP to reserve a space by emailing  lunchwithfriendsmarco@gmail.com.