The Shadow
On Sunday, November 5, 2023, from 12:30 p.m.- 2:30 p.m., the Historic Masonic Theatre and Ampitheatre held their 9th annual “John Hillert Souper Sunday” event. The event, a fundraiser which came into fruition after an idea was born to benefit the Clifton Forge Food Pantry and has become a true staple of the community.
“It’s become such a tradition,” Justin Reiter, executive director of the Historic Masonic Theatre and Ampitheatre, stated. “It makes such a huge difference. You think about 9 years, that amount of money each year, I mean, that’s a lot of money for the Food Pantry.” This year, the “John Hillert Souper Sunday” event raised $3,000 for the Clifton Forge Food Pantry. It is a completely selfless event, as all the proceeds go directly to the Food Pantry, with the Historic Masonic Theatre profiting nothing but goodwill.
“We had over 350 quarts to sell, we sold out, and we raised $3,000 for the Food Pantry,” Reiter added. “The only thing the theatre takes out is our credit card processing fees, which you know, we kind of have to, but we had some people help make up that difference to reach that $3,000 mark.” Mathematically speaking, if the Historic Masonic Theatre has been consistent in keeping at the $3,000 mark since the fundraiser began 9 years ago—maybe some years was slightly less, maybe some years, slightly more— that’s still somewhere in the ballpark of around $27,000 since the fundraiser began. $27,000 that has gone to help feed those less fortunate in the Alleghany Highlands. That’s huge!
“What’s most remarkable to me is that you’ve got 27 people that spend their own money, their own time, to make 12 quarts of soup, 3 gallons, to be donated to sell and give all of the proceeds to the Clifton Forge Food Pantry,” Justin Reiter said. Aside from the 27 chefs who volunteered their own time and money, there were also 6 board members, 3 staff members, and two additional volunteers who all banned together to make this year’s “Souper Sunday” a massive success for the Clifton Forge Food Pantry.
Coming up next month, the Hometown Christmas Mountain Opry is scheduled at the Historic Masonic Theatre. Reiter concluded, “We’ll also be doing, on December 8th, a Hometown Christmas with the Mountain Opry and part of that program will be that you can get a free seat in the balcony if you bring canned, non-perishable goods to the theatre.” This is yet another way the theatre works to assist the Clifton Forge Food Pantry in its endeavors to feed those less fortunate in our community.
