Today we’d like to introduce you to Alison Reese.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am a career educator, teaching students from kindergarten through college level. I also was the head of two private schools in the North Texas area. Because I know firsthand the needs of children, the Souper Bowl of Caring was always an activity that I encouraged my students to participate in during the school year. When children don’t eat, they are at risk for academic, behavioral and health issues that don’t end.
Early childhood hunger and poverty robs a child of their God-Given potential to be their best. Since 40% of brain development can be affected by poor nutrition early in life, the campaign to “Tackle Hunger” always resonated with me. The idea that God put a prayer on the heart of a pastoral intern in 1989 makes it even more important in my mind. $153 million has been raised across the nation with 100% of that staying in over 5,000 local food banks and pantries. Because this movement energizes youth and groups to participate in hunger relief, I have always been particularly interested in the success of this effort.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Life is never a smooth road. When my child was six years old, her dad was diagnosed with a rare stage four cancer. Over more than three years, my family dealt with sickness and death. In the process, we all learned how to live by looking around to see how to help others. In helping others, we can take the sting out of personal pain. My late husband was a musician who wrote songs to help himself deal with his grave situation. His song to me, “Harder on You” is not just about how cancer is harder on loved ones than on the person who is ill but is about ALL people who are dealing with struggle and how the people they love are affected.
When I have met families who are struggling with food insecurity, there is the same feeling: parents do not want to leave children without and they do not want to be in their current situation. It is always harder on those who are helpless to affect any change in a situation than those who can do something. No matter how difficult I find my job, my objective is to help affect positive change in communities across the nation, but particularly in Houston, North Texas and Central Texas where we have unique, one-of-a-kind partnerships to encourage participation by everyone. Remember, since 100% of what is collected is donated directly to food charities, our organization has to find donations elsewhere. Over 30 years and $153 million of support to food banks across the nation, we are still struggling to find a sustainable way to fund our small organizational needs.
Please tell us about Souper Bowl of Caring.
A simple prayer: “Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat” is inspiring a youth-led movement to help hungry and hurting people around the world. That prayer started this movement which has moved over 2 million youth, along with thousands of groups and businesses to participate in a food drive using the energy of the Big Game. These groups along with food retailers and media partners in Texas, have generated an extraordinary more than $153 million for soup kitchens, food banks and other charities in communities across the country. In addition, millions of youth have experienced for themselves the joy and satisfaction of giving and serving, inspiring people of all ages to follow their generous example.
The Souper Bowl of Caring is different from other groups because we are here to encourage people to engage in supporting their local food charity. We work tirelessly to recruit and retain participation in an effort to tackle hunger and use the game as an opportunity to care for others. In addition, the Souper Bowl of Caring has been the catalyst for feeding hungry children through efforts in schools to provide food pantries for the families they serve. In one district, their efforts with the Souper Bowl of Caring at each school allowed them to provide food pantries at every school within five years of starting the program.
We believe that it takes the entire community to support our children to ensure they can meet their potential. If we work together, we can do more together. Our belief: Tackle Hunger Together
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Being successful is a mindset. Tenacity, daring to try when others have failed, and priding myself in small victories are all characteristics that are important to my success.
Our organization IS successful when we bring more participants and more food into food banks in Houston and across the country.
Contact Info:
- Address: 6260 Westpark Dr., Suite 260
Houston, TX 77057 - Website: www.tacklehunger.org
- Phone: 800-358-7687
- Email: alison.reese@souperbowl.org
- Instagram: souperbowl
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/souperbowlofcaring/
- Twitter: @souperbowl
Image Credit:
Rico Photography
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