Grab a spoon and get ready to stir up some good! Soup It Up for Loop It Up returns Saturday, March 7, inviting the community to enjoy delicious local food while supporting the vital programs of Loop It Up Savannah. 

This year’s Soup It Up will celebrate “the house that Loop It Up built” from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at the Kehoe Iron Works Building at Trustees’ Garden in downtown Savannah. Tickets and sponsorships are available at www.loopitupsavannah.com.

“We can’t wait to see everyone at Soup It Up 2026,” said Loop It Up founder and Executive Director Molly Lieberman. “This event gives us an opportunity to celebrate all things Loop It Up as we come together to raise essential funds to support our ongoing programming that serves over 11,000 children in the Savannah area. This year we are imagining our programs and our presence in schools and the community as a house where you can learn and feel safe and be supported – it’s the house that Loop It Up built.”

The “house that Loop It Up built” conceptualizes the idea of the local nonprofit as a home in which each room holds Loop It Up’s creative education programs, as well as the joy, possibility and learning those programs provide. 

“For the past 18 years, Loop It Up Savannah has had a consistent, safe, creative and engaging presence within countless schools and community spaces,” Lieberman said. “We are proud to collaborate with over 100 community partners, which includes host sites and program delivery partners. Loop It Up has become part of the fabric of this community and we are so grateful for the support of our donors, partners and volunteers as we continue our commitment to be an ongoing force for good.” 

Soup It Up is the culminating event of the organization’s Annual Campaign, which runs from November to March. The event always showcases Loop It Up’s programs in early literacy, mindfulness, and STEAM/school gardens – but this year will also shine a light on the creativity that drives everything the organization does. 

“When people walk into Soup It Up this year, I want them to truly step inside the house that Loop It Up built. So we are leaning into the literal and are quite actually building a house,” said Keeli Millard, Loop It Up’s Design, Innovation, and Outreach Manager. “The goal is to turn our work into something you can step into and experience – for guests to feel like they are walking through a living, breathing story of what Loop It Up brings to our community. 

“It will be playful, colorful and full of imagination, just like the students who inspire everything we do,” Millard said. “The house is really a love letter to the students, teachers, partners and supporters who have helped build Loop It Up together.”

Loop It Up has been serving the community since 2008, when it was just Lieberman working out of a closet at the West Broad YMCA. It became a registered nonprofit in 2015 and grew into its current core programs, Looping Literacy Together, Mindfulness Zone, and School Gardens & STEAM Dream. Loop It Up delivers these programs during the school day and after school to over 11,000 local students annually through partnerships with Savannah Chatham County Public Schools System, early learning centers, and other nonprofits. Additionally, Loop It Up this year started a new Stuff the Closet program that provides school uniforms and hygiene items to students through a collaboration with school social workers. 

“Loop It Up isn’t just a program – it’s a lifeline of creativity, connection and opportunity for our children,” said Loop It Up Board of Directors Secretary Suzy Karpf. “It serves thousands of kids right now, but it’s also an investment in our future. Come out to Soup It Up so together we can reach our $175,000 campaign goal. This is such a worthy cause, and everyone’s support helps ensure that Loop It Up can continue providing these essential services to the community.”

Soup It Up isn't just all about Loop It Up – the event also features local restaurants every year. This year’s featured soups will be dished up by Collins Quarter, Heavy on the Hors D’Oeuvres, Fleeting, Franklin’s and the Desoto Savannah. Local artist and entertainer DJ Jose Ray will provide music and Cecilia Arango will be master of ceremonies. For the second year, guests will get to cast votes for their favorite soup, and the winning restaurant takes home the Souper Star Soup Bowl trophy. 

“We are excited to savor all of this year's soups, and we can’t wait to see which restaurant will be following in the footsteps of our 2025 Souper Star Soup Bowl winner, Collins Quarter,” Lieberman said. “We extend a sincere ‘thank you’ to all of our sponsors, who have contributed over $40,000 to this year's campaign to date.  And we send a special shout out to our Golden Gumbo sponsor, the Mary Lane Morrison Foundation, as well as our Italian Wedding sponsors, Pintail Site Preparation and Dohrman Construction.”

Individual tickets to Soup It Up are $125, or you can get two tickets for $200. There are also several sponsorship levels available, starting at $1,000. Tickets and sponsorships can be purchased at www.loopitupsavannah.com.