Soup’s On for a Good Cause

Warm and filled tummies and broad smiles were in abundance at Souper Bowl 2025. 

Held recently, the fundraiser’s tenth installment was, like its predecessors, a well-attended, high-spirited, two-hour-long Saturday morning gathering held under the roof of Mackle Park’s airnasium.  

The annual fundraiser for the Marco Island Area Chamber of Commerce and its Leadership Marco Scholarship Fund benefits the island’s graduating seniors who are moving on to higher education. 

Attendees were able to purchase one-of-a-kind ceramic bowls, hand-crafted and painted by Marco Island school children and some community members. The bowls were then filled with sumptuous soups prepared and donated by the seven Marco restaurants that volunteered to be part of Souper Bowl 2025. 

Proceeds had not been counted by press time. However, the chamber’s executive director, Dianna Dohm, estimated the event raised about $20,000, as compared to roughly $16,000 last year.  

Gil LeBlanc added another bowl to his Souper Bowl collection by attending the event. “I come every year for clam chowder,” said the Cape Cod resident. “It’s very good.” 

The chowder he was enjoying was prepared by Deep Lagoon Seafood and Oyster House. The eatery was joined by its fellow Phelan Group-owned Marco restaurants, Pinchers Crab Shack, and CJ's on the Bay.  

Jarrod Cain, a marketing assistant-event coordinator for the Phelan Group, said the company has participated in the fundraiser for several years.  

“We love being part of the community, and we definitely love being part of this event and supporting the chamber of commerce,” he said.  

Like LeBlanc, Brooks and Kelly Swift are Souper Bowl regulars. In their case, 2025 marked eight years in a row.  

“I don't think we've missed it,” said Brooks Swift, as he and his wife nursed bowls of Cream of Mushroom Miso with Wild Rice soup prepared by the Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort and Spa. “Our kids used to be in the schools here, and so they'd make these bowls,” added Kelly Swift.