Souper Sunday

Ladies, it’s Super Bowl Sunday this weekend. While the guys are deep into serious game preparations (“Honey? Where’s the onion soup mix?”), you can enjoy the bracing air by cross-country skiing or snowshoeing around Mount Spokane, all for a good cause. The fourth annual women’s “SOUPER” BOWL, a fundraiser for the Women’s and Children’s Free Restaurant, is set for Sunday morning at the Selkirk Lodge. The event is open to skiers and snowshoers of all experience levels, and organizers are expecting upwards of 200 participants.

A timed women-only race, open to both classic and skate skiers, takes off at 10 am (check in starts at 8:30). Recreational ski and snowshoe tours are also available for those who prefer a more leisurely pace. And yes, there will be hot soup, bread and cookies for those who complete a 5K loop to the Nova Lodge.

The Women’s and Children’s Free Restaurant, in the basement of St. Paul’s Methodist Church (1620 N. Monroe St.), serves free meals to all women and children who come through the doors. Dinner is served twice a week (Tuesdays and Wednesdays), lunch is served on Fridays, and women may also come in to pick up food to go on Friday afternoons. The restaurant is supported entirely by donations and relies on the work of many volunteers.

If you need to rent skis, a limited number will be available on the mountain for a $10 fee, or make discounted rental arrangements ahead of time with event sponsors Mountain Gear, Fitness Fanatics and REI. Snowshoes will be available at no charge on site.

To help keep things green, organizers have chartered a bus to ferry participants up the mountain. The bus will depart the Mountain Gear parking lot (2002 N. Division) at 8 am, stop at Mt. Spokane High School at 8:30, and then head up the mountain. The bus will leave the site at 1 pm. Bus fare is $15. (There’s limited space on the bus, though, so reserve soon.)

So have fun playing in the snow while helping other women in our community who are in need of safe, nutritious meals. And you’ll be home in time for the kick-off of that other big sporting event. What could be better?

The fourth annual Women’s “Souper” Bowl is Sunday, Feb. 1, from 10 am-1 pm. Suggested donation: $25. Visit www.mountaingear.com, www.fitfanatics.com, www.snsef.org or www.wcfrspokane.org.