Members of St. John’s U.C.C. of Emmaus were ready at the crack of dawn to prepare approximately 400 containers of chicken chowder for their annual fundraiser recently.

Steward Don Kaufman organized the team of volunteers who began to debone the chicken at 6 a.m. They spent the next few hours preparing the chowder which is thicker than normal chicken broth.

According to Kaufman, the annual event usually involved making 150 orders; however, this year they had over 300 prepaid orders. Kaufman shared the church advertised the sale in the Lehigh Valley Press and he attributes the success to the advertising.

“We had orders coming in from all over,” he said.

Stephanie Bechtel and Jackie Reppert drove in from Macungie and were all smiles to receive their warm soups that will “hit the spot” on a chilly Saturday. They brought a container for their six orders. There were plenty of boxes available for people to place their soups for the drive home.

The chowder was provided in quart-size to-go containers. Jean Rogers, of Emmaus, made sure she ordered several containers “to enjoy on days like today.”

Member Jim Schaeffer appreciated the work of the volunteers as he entered the church hall, the “delicious smell of chicken” engulfed his senses. Kaufman noted the volunteers package more than the preorders for people who want to purchase additional soups during pick up between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Any soups not sold were delivered to the Emmaus Food Bank at Bethel Bible Church.

Kaufman wanted to invite the public to their next event “A Night at the Races” 5-10 p.m. March 14 at the Alburtis Community Center. Doors open 5 p.m. and the first race begins 6:30 p.m.