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Annual Souper Bowl Raises Funds for W&L’s Backpack Program This year’s event raised more than $13,000 to support the Campus Kitchen’s hunger-fighting project.

By Emily Innes Stanley
February 9, 2026

The 14th annual Campus Kitchen Souper Bowl, held in Evans Hall, benefits the Campus Kitchen backpack program.
The 14th annual Campus Kitchen Souper Bowl, held in Evans Hall, benefits the Campus Kitchen backpack program.
The 14th annual Campus Kitchen Souper Bowl, held in Evans Hall, benefits the Campus Kitchen backpack program. Photo by Bella Ferrate ’26
The 14th annual Campus Kitchen Souper Bowl, held in Evans Hall, benefits the Campus Kitchen backpack program.
The 14th annual Campus Kitchen Souper Bowl, held in Evans Hall, benefits the Campus Kitchen backpack program.
The 14th annual Campus Kitchen Souper Bowl, held in Evans Hall, benefits the Campus Kitchen backpack program.

Washington and Lee University’s Campus Kitchen (CKWL) and community members helped tackle childhood hunger in Rockbridge County in early February with the annual Souper Bowl event. This year’s Souper Bowl raised more than $13,000 to support the Campus Kitchen at W&L’s Backpack Program.

“This year’s Campus Kitchen Souper Bowl was a resounding success, thanks in large part to the restaurants, local businesses and community organizations who came together to donate soups, provide auction items and sponsor the event,” said Ryan Brink ’18, assistant director of the Shepherd Program and CKWL coordinator. “We were thrilled to welcome more than 500 attendees to Evans Hall for great soup, wonderful music and community building in support of a great cause.”

The Feb. 1 event featured local soup creations from 16 participating restaurants, caterers and community organizations, and many were made with locally sourced ingredients. Campus Kitchen also introduced an online auction as a new component of the annual fundraiser this year, with items donated from local businesses around Rockbridge County. This year’s Souper Bowl was sponsored by Charles W. Barger & Son at the gold sponsorship level; Lexington Smiles at the silver level; and Cornerstone Bank, Lexington Woman’s Club, Just Games and Violet Consignment at the bronze level.

Brink is also grateful for the student volunteers on the Campus Kitchen Finance and Fundraising Committee who began working in September to put the event together: Austin Winslow ’26, Evan Clark ’26, Matthew Steuerman ’27 and Gibson Ward ’27.

This was Winslow’s third year helping plan the Campus Kitchen Souper Bowl, and she was thrilled with the amount of participation from Lexington businesses this year. The silent auction and sponsorship levels introduced new avenues for support and allowed businesses to reach a wider audience.

“During my time with this event, I have loved building up our offerings to showcase what Lexington and Rockbridge County have to offer, making it mutually beneficial for our sponsors,” Winslow said. “This event is important to our efforts to support the Backpack Program, but it also brings community members and students together for a good cause and allows both groups to understand more about each other.”

If you missed this year’s event, you can still make contributions online to support the Campus Kitchen at W&L’s Backpack Program. Since 2009, the CKWL Backpack Program has provided non-perishable breakfast, lunch and snack items to children receiving free and reduced lunch in 15 schools throughout Rockbridge County.

It Takes a Village

The Campus Kitchen Souper Bowl is a community-wide event, with local restaurants, caterers, businesses and organizations donating their time and resources in support of the Campus Kitchen Backpack Program.

This year’s Souper Bowl participants included Blue Sky Bakery, Campus Kitchen, CHEFS Catering Company, Full Circle Catering, GloBowl Cafe, Heliotrope Brewery, Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, Lexington Catering Company, Napa Thai, Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, Pronto, Pure Eats, the Rockbridge Jewish Community, Seasons Café, The Georges and W&L Dining Services.

Silent auction donors included Alvin-Dennis, Asunder Coffee Roasters, Flex Fitness, Lex Running Shop, Rockbridge Barbell, Violett Consignment, Yonderyear Farm, Ryan Brink and Wendy and Tom Lovell.

The event was sponsored by Charles W. Barger & Son at the gold sponsorship level; Lexington Smiles at the silver level; and Cornerstone Bank, Lexington Woman’s Club, Just Games and Violet Consignment at the bronze level.