Seniors Get Artistic for 2025 Souper Bowl

August is one of Florida’s hottest months, but that did not stop 127 seniors from attending the August Lunch with Friends at the Marco Lutheran Church. They came prepared to showcase their inner Picasso or Monet and transform ordinary looking ceramic bowls into a one-of-a-kind “Souper Bowl.” 

Each table had plain ceramic soup bowls with brushes and paints. After the bowls were painted, they were collected and will be given a finish and fired. Getting 1,000 bowls painted and ready for the February event is quite a task. 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.

The Marco Island Chamber of Commerce (and Leadership Marco) Souper Bowl supports their scholarship fund for local students moving on to higher education. According to Donna Niemczyk, Programs and Events Manager for the Marco Island Chamber of Commerce, they raised $18,000 for their 2024 scholarship fund.

This year’s committee is already hard at work planning and preparing for the ever-popular Souper Bowl event to be held at Mackle Park on February 8, 2025, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. According to Niemczyk, these bowls are so popular that they have an early pre-sale event for those who want to skip the line and get their bowls early. Local artists even donated their personal pottery creations for a silent auction, which saw plenty of active bidding.

The 2025 Committee members planning the event are Donna Niemczyk, Lisa Meurgue, Jacquie Strategos, Cheryl Stokes, Melissa Davidson, Samantha Malloy, and Dawn Snyder.

These bowls will serve up delicious soup creations from the island’s popular restaurants such as Deep Lagoon, Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort and Spa, Island Country Club, The Italian Deli and Market, Mango’s Dockside Bistro, Pinchers, JW Marriott’s Quinn’s, and Sandbar. If you would like to be part of this culinary group, please contact the Marco Island Chamber of Commerce to add your soup creation to the list.

Dianna Dohm, Executive Director for the Marco Island Chamber of Commerce, said that in addition to soup sponsors, the event is very popular and supported by many local businesses such as First Citizens Bank, Phelan Brands, All Party Event Rentals, City of Marco Island Parks and Rec, Clay More Ceramics, AP Builders, Coastal Breeze News, Condee Cooling and Electric, Marco Island Florist, NCH Healthcare, Tuscany Villa, Kiwanis Foundation, Law Offices of William G. Morris, Palm Printing, Our Daily Bread, Rogers Wood Hill Starman and Gustason, PA., Our Daily Bread and Al’s Pals. Please contact the Chamber of Commerce to add your name to this list. 

The delicious August Lunch with Friends was provided by Sandbar and sponsored by Marco Island Chamber of Commerce and Tuscany Villa of Naples. A big thanks to all the volunteers and a special shout-out to the Ladies from Hideaway Beach Association for helping out.

Lunch with Friends is made possible each month through a partnership with Our Daily Bread Food Pantry, YMCA of Collier County, Al’s Pals and Marco Lutheran Church.

A Call for Volunteers! Tim Rose of the Marco Dementia Respite (MDR) gave a brief overview of the program and their need for volunteers. They are looking to add volunteers for the following programs:

• Program Volunteer – a five-hour commitment.
• Lunch Volunteer – a two-and-a-half hour commitment.

For those interested, please call Denise Rose at 239-877-7213 or email lvdesertrose@hotmail.com.

The next Lunch with Friends will be on September 18, 2024, and will be sponsored by the Marco Island Historical Society and Rene and Tish Champagne.