DOWAGIAC – Tomorrow, Dowagiac residents will have a chance to warm themselves with a cup of homemade soup and support area children at the same time.

The sisters of Xi Delta Mu will host a soup luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the First United Methodist Church, 326 N. Lowe St., Dowagiac, to benefit E. Root Memorial Day Camp. A donation of $5 will provide a lunch of chicken noodle, cheesy potato or beef barley soup and dessert, all of which is homemade. Carry-out options will be available at the event.

“This goes for the kids of the Dowagiac community,” said event chair Pat Franz. “It’s a very worthy cause.”

Fitch Camp, located at Cable Lake, was established in 1941. The camp is open to Dowagiac elementary and middle school students and provides nature, sports, art and game activities throughout the summer months. Attendance, transportation and meals for the camp cost $1 a day for each camper.

As the camp keeps costs low for campers, Delta Mu sorority sister Bobbie Jo Hartline said the organization chooses to donate to Fitch Camp each year to help with the camp’s operating costs, supplies, teaching materials, food and more.

“Fitch Camp is a tradition we want to help maintain,” Hartline said. “It is a great place where [children] can connect with their friends outside of school. … It’s something not everyone gets to do, and I’m proud that we are able to help be part of keeping that legacy alive.”

“I think it gives [local children] a sense of self,” Franz added. “They have all types of activities. They learn cooperation, leadership skills. All around, it is about getting kids to do things during the summer and keeping them occupied at a very minimal cost.”

Last year’s soup luncheon raised more than $2,000 for Fitch Camp, a goal Franz said she would like to meet again this year. To help achieve that goal, both Franz and Hartline said they would encourage Dowagiac residents and workers to spend their lunch hour Thursday getting a bowl of soup from the fundraiser.

“I think if you come out, you can have good conversation with your fellow neighbors and enjoy good soup and desserts for a reasonable price,” Franz said.

“For a $5 donation, people can get a great lunch and support a great cause,” Hartline added. “It’s food, it’s fun and it’s with friends.”

Those who cannot attend the soup luncheon, but would like to donate to the fundraiser for Fitch Camp, can do so by contacting Hartline at Dowagiac City Hall, (269) 782-2195.