Return to Archived Stories

The special offering, fittingly called Souper Bowl of Caring, is a ten-year tradition, which the Paynesville Ministerial Association typically dedicates to the service center - by collecting food and donations of money to buy foodĘ- but will go towards the planned building project this year.

In a joint effort by the ministerial association and the Paynesville Lions Club, which is spearheading the building project for the center, organizers hope to raise at least $1,600 on Sunday, an amount that could be matched by Thrivent Financial Services for Lutherans, said Pastor Dave Nelson of Paynesville Lutheran Church.

All of the money raised on Sunday would go toward a new $100,000 building for the service center, according to Lions president Dave Mutschelknaus.

The Souper Bowl of Caring is a national project - with all donations going to local charities - that Paynesville area churches have participated in for about 10 years, said Nelson. Normally, area churches have held a food drive on Super Bowl Sunday. This year will be a bit different because the proceeds will go toward a new facility, though donations of food will still be welcome, Nelson added.

Anyone who isn't a member of a church can make donations at Paynesville Lutheran Church, as all of the funds from PLC are eligible for matching funds through Thrivent Financial Services for Lutherans.

Donations to the service center made thorough area churches are tax deductible.

The Paynesville Lions Club has been involved in a drive to build a new facility for the past several years, said Mutschelknaus. The current building, located on River Street, is too small and inefficient, he said. It's falling apart, and it's hard and costly to heat, he added.

In order to serve the community better, the facility needs to be improved, said Mutschelknaus. The Lions hope to provide a mortgage-free building that's energy efficient, so the service center can apply all its resources toward purchasing food and other items for those in need, he added.

The new Paynesville Area Community Service Center is proposed to be built on the vacant lot at the corner of Lake Avenue and Railroad Street, near downtown.

Since the service center serves roughly a 15-mile radius from Paynesville, the Paynesville Lions have pledged $10,000 for the project and gotten pledges of $21,000 from other Lions clubs, according to Mutschelknaus. In addition, the group is looking for other grants and sources of funding.

While $100,000 would build a nice service center, it would still be a bare-bones facility, Mutschelknaus added. It would still need shelving, extra coolers, displays, and office furnishings, he said.