The Results Are In!
As the professional football season winds to a close each winter, fans across the country start planning parties large and small, usually with an abundance of pre-game snacks and treats, for the Big Game. Jersey-clad diehards and fair-weather fans alike break bread, or more likely, wings and nachos, as they cheer on their favorite teams. Amid piles of chips, dips, and rib tips, it can be easy to forget that so many people around the world and here in the United States often struggle to fill their own plates, let alone the plates of families and friends visiting for the Game.
This year, ELCA Lutherans worked to change that. Team Carolina and Team Denver took part in ELCA World Hunger’s “Big Game” Synod Challenge to raise awareness and dollars to support ELCA World Hunger’s work in nearly 60 countries, including the United States. And the results are in!
It wasn’t quite the thumping we saw on the field, but Team Denver edged out Team Carolina to win this friendly competition. Together, the teams and their supporters raised over $70,000, with Team Denver bringing in $35,621 and Team Carolina following closely with $34,672. Together with a few gifts that came in after the competition, over $77,012 were raised for ELCA World Hunger! These gifts will support food pantries, jobs programs, shelters, health clinics, agricultural programs and much, much more.
How Did They Do It?
The Rocky Mountain, North Carolina and South Carolina Synods shared photos, videos and social media posts to get the word out and gifts in. (Check out the Team Carolina video here, and the Team Denver video here.) Here is where donations came from:
Both teams took advantage of Team ELCA, a new online fundraising platform, that congregations, groups and individuals can use to support ELCA World Hunger. By forming a team, you can invite friends, family and neighbors to join your efforts. Team ELCA is a great way to draw others together in your event. From birthdays to youth group overnights to synod-wide events like ELCA World Hunger’s Big Game Challenge, Team ELCA can be an important tool in expanding the reach of your efforts. Learn more about Team ELCA with a handy tip sheet that can be found here (https://blogs.elca.org/worldhunger/files/2016/03/Team-ELCA-101-1.pdf).
Thank you to Team Denver and Team Carolina, and to everyone who joined in this tremendous effort! Your support will help our church live out its call to be “church for the sake of the world” in communities facing hunger and poverty around the world.
