American 1 Soup Wars Raises $4,000 for Jackson Interfaith Shelter
On Feb. 12, American 1 Credit Union hosted Soup Wars at the Jackson County Fairgrounds. From 12pm to 3pm, nearly 600 people filed through the American 1 Event Center tasting 15 different soups from 12 local restaurants. The 2017 event marked the fourth year of Soup Wars. It was created to raise awareness of hunger issues in Jackson County.
Serving as a fundraiser for the Jackson Interfaith Shelter, this year’s event raised $4,000 for the charity. Admission for adults was $5, children ages 5-12 were $3, and children age 4 and under were free, with all proceeds going to the Jackson Interfaith Shelter. The first 50 people also received a free soup bowl, donated by Make It Yours! and hand-painted by Northwest Elementary students.
Visitors received a punch card that allowed them to sample 2 ounces of every soup. Judging was determined by three judges who sampled the soups and by visitors that made donations to vote for their favorite soup. The restaurant that took home the award for 2017 Soup Wars Champion was Oak Tree Lounge, located at 617 Oak Street in Jackson, with their Macaroni & Cheeseburger soup.
List of participating restaurants:
- Dark Horse Brewing Co.
- Bob Evans Restaurant
- Oak Tree Lounge
- Caffe Lilla
- Airport Restaurant & Spirits
- Candi’s BZB Café
- Spring Arbor Café
- Olive Garden
- Clark Lake Golf Course
- Bone Island Grille
- Outback Steakhouse
- Here’s To You Pub & Grub
