Got Soup?: Brooke Peccie ’17 "My favorite part about being involved with the Souper Bowl is knowing that all of the proceeds go towards tackling childhood hunger in the Rockbridge area."
While many students are eagerly awaiting kickoff for Super Bowl 50, there are likely just as many more looking forward to the 4th Annual Souper Bowl in support of the Campus Kitchen at Washington and Lee (CKWL).
As the Campus Kitchen Backpack Program intern, Brooke Peccie ’17 has worked closely with Jenny Davidson ’08, coordinator of CKWL, to plan this year’s big event that supports the Backpack Program, an effort that aims to diminish the meal gap that students eligible for free or reduced lunch experience on weekends.
“Through Campus Kitchen, I have been able to break out of the W&L ‘bubble’ and open my eyes to the problems faced by so many members of the greater Rockbridge community,” said Brooke, a major player on this year’s Campus Kitchen team.
Every Wednesday during the backpack assembly shift at the Campus Kitchen, volunteers fill bags with at least seven individually packaged items, such as oatmeal, applesauce, crackers, soup, cereal and chips. On Thursdays, the bags are delivered to seven public elementary schools, four Head Start programs, an early learning center, and a private school for autistic children in the Rockbridge area. In all the program serves more than 700 young students each week. Over the past three years, the Souper Bowl has raised more than $21,000 to provide food support for area children who struggle with food insecurity.
In addition to serving on the Campus Kitchen leadership team, Brooke is president of the Kappa Delta Sorority as well as a member of Student Consulting, Kathekon, Beta Alpha Psi, and LIFE. She is an accounting and business administration major and German minor.
“I am extremely passionate about the Souper Bowl because it benefits the Backpack Program,” said Brooke. “This year, we are very excited to announce that more than 20 restaurants and catering services will be participating. We will also have live entertainment by some of W&L’s very own singing groups.”
The event, which is open to the public, takes place from 11 am to 2 pm on Sunday, Jan. 31, in Evans Dining Hall. Campus Kitchen volunteers will be tabling in the Commons the week prior, selling T-shirts and event tickets, which are $10 per student and child, and $15 per adult. Brooke added that W&L students can swipe tickets home.
“My favorite part about being involved with the Souper Bowl is knowing that all of the proceeds go towards tackling childhood hunger in the Rockbridge area,” she said. “Leading the backpacking shift at Campus Kitchen is always one of the best parts of my week, because if only for just an hour at a time, I know that I am making a difference and benefiting those beyond the W&L community.”
– by Anu Shrestha ’19
