Goodfellows kicks off annual fundraising campaign with Soup Day
The Goodfellows Club of Owensboro revived a community tradition Tuesday, when the organization held its first community “Soup Day” since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The nonprofit group was created 107 years ago by Lawrence Hager Sr., general manager of the Owensboro Inquirer, which later became the Messenger-Inquirer. Goodfellow’s mission since then has been to assist local students in need by providing new clothing, shoes, coats and even emergency dental care.
The parking lot of Settle Memorial United Methodist’s Church’s ROC Center was filled, as people filed in to try soups from 49 local restaurants.
“This year is to get back on track,” said Goodfellows board chairwoman Stacy Edds-Ellis. “We haven’t had this event since 2019.
“We’re really excited about the turnout,” Edds-Ellis said.
Goodfellows board members served food, assisted by volunteers from the Daviess County Homemakers and the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce’s Chamber Young Professionals.
“Our restaurants have been very generous,” Edds-Ellis said.
Soup Day is the beginning of the Goodfellows fundraising campaign. While Goodfellows is known for its annual Christmas party for children, the organization works in the schools weekly, providing assistance to children who otherwise would wear threadbare or hand-me-down clothes and shoes.
“This year, we’ve already served 2,730 students in the school districts,” Edds-Ellis said. “We have spent about $10,000 on dental care.
“We are already seeing a lot of needs with our children,” Edds-Ellis said.
Courtney Calhoun Kendall, a Goodfellows board member and campus manager for Girls Inc.’s Rolling Heights campus, said the organization has helped many Girls Inc. students, particularly with school clothing. Calhoun Kendall said she joined the Goodfellows board because the organization was a part of her holiday season when she was a child.
“The party was a big thing. It was kind of a family tradition,” Calhoun Kendall said. As an adult, “I liked the fact that they were giving back to other people.”
The club helps students in both the city and county school districts. Summer Bell, district mental health coordinator for Owensboro Public Schools and Goodfellows board member, said students and their families continue to rely on the club for assistance.
“There has been a greater need in Owensboro and Daviess County” among students, Bell said. “We have served a higher number this year than last year.
“Goodfellows doesn’t turn people away,” Bell said. “That’s what is fantastic with this organization: All of the money goes back to our students.”
Edds-Ellis said months of work went into planning for Tuesday’s Soup Day event.
“We started preparing for this in the summer,” Edds-Ellis said.
The Goodfellows Roll Call in the Messenger-Inquirer begins Thanksgiving Day. The Owensboro Choral Society’s annual performance of “The Messiah,” an annual Goodfellows fundraiser, will be held Dec. 3 at Third Baptist Church. The annual Christmas Party will be held on Dec. 15 at Owensboro Christian Church.
“We’ve missed having this event, because it’s a fun kickoff to the season,” Edds-Ellis said.
By James Mayse Messenger- Inquirer