FLORIDA—Members of the Central Florida congregation have found a successful fundraising opportunity working food concession stands at Tampa Bay Buccaneers football games in Raymond James Stadium. The fundraiser has run four years in a row, and in the past season included an average of 20 volunteers working four games during the regular season, plus the Outback Bowl on January 1.

Organizers Mark Smith and deacon David Miller began planning for the fundraisers in June 2012. For the past season, volunteers took concession training and passed the test, then worked their first game on Oct. 13, 2013. The volunteers arrived at 8 a.m. and began work an hour later, taking inventory of paper goods, food and drinks; doing light cleaning; stocking stands and condiment areas; preparing register cash drawers; testing drink dispensers; and getting tools ready for the rush.

Just prior to when the fans began entering the stadium, the grills fired up. The volunteers filled heated cabinets with pizza, chicken tenders, as well as pre-cooked burgers and hot dogs ahead of the siege of customers. Then the fun began, and the team operated like a well-oiled machine.

“One of our hardest workers [Wallace Prest] took out the trash, cleaned every pan that came across the table and even filled the ice bins at times … and at the young age of 79!” Smith said. “Mr. Prest is such a hard worker.” When Smith asked to take a photo, Prest joked, “Christ is about to return. I don’t have time for pictures.”

Catherine Poplick is a new volunteer. She said she participated “to help God’s Work,” and enthusiastically added that “the experience helped develop my job skills.”

“There’s nothing like working with God’s people,” Smith said. “Everyone is always willing to work together and to do whatever it takes to get the job done. We are told every year that we are one of their best groups.”

“One of the concession managers told me they’ve never seen a group like us,” said Jerry Pattilo, who has volunteered at the stadium for several seasons. “They feel a sense of relief knowing we’re working for them. When we finished, our work area was cleaner than what it was when we arrived. That’s because we maintain the Philadelphian standard.”

The group’s fundraising total over the recent season added up to $9,136. At a rate of $10.15 per person per hour, it was the congregation’s most lucrative fundraising year to date.