Beacon soup line Thursday

For more than two decades, an annual soup line has helped support The Beacon, a local food pantry and assistance agency.

This year, the 23rd annual fundraiser is scheduled to take place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 25, at the Scottish Rite Temple, 110 S. Main St. The event is sponsored by a network of more than 40 area churches and the Fort Scott PRIDE organization. The soup line helps provide operating cash for The Beacon, and each event has brought in between $3,000-$4,000 the last few years for the agency.

Joy O'Neal, the coordinator of the event for the last several years, said she is hoping for an attendance of at least 1,000 people at this year's event.

Each year, about 100-150 volunteers contribute several hours toward helping organize the event by preparing and serving food, selling and distributing tickets, and cleaning the facility after the event. Members of the PRIDE club at Fort Scott High School typically help serve food each year at the event.

Much of the food preparation begins a day before the event, with many volunteers arriving early Wednesday to make the beef and noodles for the homemade soups that will be served to several hundred people at the soup line throughout the day. Other volunteers spend time decorating and preparing the facility's dining hall for the event.

Area churches that help sponsor the event donate certain items for the event including flour for the noodles, and homemade desserts such as pies and cakes.

Proceeds from the soup line benefit The Beacon, a nonprofit community assistance agency that helps provide food and financial assistance to needy and low-income families throughout Bourbon County.

Tickets for the event cost $5 per person and will allow the holder to purchase either homemade chicken noodle soup or vegetable beef soup, a dessert, and a beverage of choice.

For more information or tickets, call O'Neal at (620) 223-6544, or The Beacon at 223-6869.