Florida Congregation Cashes in on Concessions
Group raises five figures at football fundraiser.

FLORIDA—After five years of working in food concessions during Tampa Bay Buccaneers professional football games, members of the Central Florida congregation set a new fundraising record with its most recent fundraising season.

Over the course of six games, a group averaging 17 people prepared, served and sold concessions. The team sold approximately 1,200 hamburgers, 900 personal pizzas, 700 hot dogs, 1,000 pounds of chicken and 1,000 pounds of french fries.

The effort began in June, organized by member Mark Smith and deacon David Miller. The group’s first game was September 7.

The typical workday at the concession stand began around 8:30 a.m. with registration just outside the stadium and ended at approximately 5 p.m. The inventory of paper goods, food and drink items was undertaken by Smith, alongside the concession manager. The other volunteers did light cleaning, stocked supplies, prepared beer and soda dispensers, and cooked pizzas and hot dogs.

“It’s great working with the brethren,” member William Sievert said. “Everyone knows what to do and when to do it.”

“To see us, God’s people, in action is to see the same oneness of mind, that same cooperative effort that we see throughout God’s Church wherever we assemble together,” member Michael Strachan said.

An estimated 918 man-hours raised $10,329, a 13 percent increase over last year’s results and a new record for the congregation.