Soup-R-Bowl great activity for a great cause

The Rotary Club's inaugural Soup-R-Bowl event Friday sounds like a perfect storm to us.

Combine a little exercise, a chance to socialize with our friends and make some new acquaintances, enjoy some delicious soup, visit local businesses and contribute to a worthy cause, and you've got a great way to spend a few hours.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., we're all invited to visit one of the participating businesses, try samples of the soup and mark your favorites on the ballot. While you're at it, bring along some cash and / or nonperishable food to donate to the McCook Pantry.

Each of the 13 businesses will donate ingredients and time to prepare the soup, Community Hospital and Nick's Distribution will donate supplies, and Mousel Brooks Garner Schneider Law Office provided funding for publicity.

It's a good time for the event, organizer and Rotarian Steve Rasmusen said, because the Pantry is usually low after helping families get through the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

Participating businesses and their soup include: Accents Etc -- chicken noodle; Adventure Travel -- wild rice and mushroom; Community Hospital (at the Keystone Business Center) -- white chicken chili; Horizon Bank -- broccoli cheddar; Knowlen & Yates -- white chicken chili; Longnecker Jewelry -- international Tex-Mex chili; McCook Chamber of Commerce -- chicken tortilla and ham and bean; MPCC Center for Enterprise/McCook Community College (at Keystone Business Center) -- chicken tortilla; McCook Gazette -- Italian vegetable soup and cinnamon rolls; McCook National Bank -- heart-attack potato; The Sports Shoppe -- taco Soup; Wagner Chevrolet -- chicken noodle; Wagner Ford -- lasagna soup.