Angela's Piazza is a safe place for women to drop in if they're trying to overcome addiction or dealing with domestic violence.
Every year around this time, right before the big game on Sunday, Angela’s Piazza has its big fundraiser, the Souper Bowl.
“We spell it S-O-U-P-E-R because we celebrate all that awesome soup,” said Amy Aguire, Angela’s Piazza executive director.
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Volunteers served soup for lunch and dinner at American Lutheran Church in Billings on Friday.
Kandice Salazar Garcia volunteers at the fundraiser and for the organization that helped her get through addiction and abuse.
“It was in 2015. I was in a domestic violence situation,” Salazar Garcia said. “Sister Mary is the one that helped me. She saved my life.”
In 1998, Sister Mary Dostal was a co-founder of Angela's Piazza, named after a sister in the 1500s who also helped women.
“Angela Merici, who was Italian, is the one who founded our religious community,” said Dostal, an Ursuline sister. “Piazza, or people are more familiar with plaza, the Spanish word, and Angela said, make your hearts and your homes like a piazza. Anyone is welcome.”
"The piazza is an Italian term for a welcoming place," Aguirre said. "There's a Catholic connection, there is a Catholic foundation, although we don't evangelize. We don't preach at the women. When they want to talk about spirituality, we'll talk about that with them, but that's not the premise of our approach. But we do encourage women to recognize a higher power."
"Sister Mary has prayed with me she's been there for me when I've been at my lowest," Salazar Garcia said. "Sister Mary is a big help."
For 20 years, local chefs have cooked soup.
The bowls have been made and donated by local artists, some of whom contribute every year.
“It's amazing,” Aguirre said. “The community support we have is tremendous.”
Aguirre says she counted about 3,000 sign-ins at the drop-in center last year.
“You know it's different for every woman and sometimes it takes the going back more than once to her abuser just trying to find her footing,” Aguirre said. “It's scary, you know, being away because you don't know what to expect or how to support yourself.”
“You get the support from the community and it's so important it's so good for all of us,” said Salazar Garcia.
"They know you've loved them and supported them," said Sister Mary.
The admission fee was $40 and Aguirre expected about 300 to 400 to come to Souper Bowl.
