The Sister Mary Loretto Memorial Community Soup Kitchen Drive has surpassed its $50,000 goal.
With the count being $41,800 as of Christmas Eve, Major Tom Duperree, didn’t know what to expect for the final days as the nonprofit looked to raise the final $8,200.
But when he checked his mail and online donations, he discovered that it that they’d reached the finish line, with a bit to spare.
More than $8,500 had come in additional donations to the soup kitchen drive with the vast majority of them coming from anonymous donors. Two such donors gave more than $2,000 each and three more such unnamed donations equaled another $2,000. That combined with the funds granted by clubs and members of the community was enough to put a smile on Duperree’s face.
“Last year there was a little hesitancy about the goal, but we settled on $50,000,” Duperree said, noting that the soup drive was short in 2023 by $30,000 and had a larger $75,000 goal.
“This makes us very happy knowing we surpassed our goal,” he continued. “This is the 41st year that we’ve had the soup kitchen drive.”
And what a year.
“So many gave to it after the first week,” Duperree said. “Then it gradually grew as people heard. Then the third week when we received over $16,000 and I thought, ‘Just a little push will put it over!’ “
And he was right.
Duperree said that donations would continue to be accepted by either mail or online until the end of the year. The soup kitchen itself will re-open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday next week.
Duperree said that each month it will serve between 2,600 and 2,700 meals to those who need it most.