Nonprofit uses Super Bowl parties as way to help homeless

What started with a simple invitation to a few homeless people to watch the Super Bowl together in New York City has turned into quite a party.

And it just keeps growing.

Super Soul Party, a nonprofit started by filmmaker and social media influencer Meir Kay, will have Super Bowl parties in 35 cities when the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams meet Feb. 13. Parties will be held in sites from Washington to Los Angeles and from Bozeman, Mt., to New Orleans.

All inspired by a conversation Kay had with a homeless man just wanting someone to talk to him.

"It just sort of connected like, 'Oh my God, this is like an unofficial holiday in the U.S.,"' Kay said of the Super Bowl. "People who don't have family or friends may feel even more lonely. So how can I help with that?"

Kay threw his first party in 2017, inviting homeless people in the neighborhood. A year later, people asked Kay how they could help, so parties were held in both New York and Los Angeles. Interest grew so quickly Kay founded the nonprofit to better organize to meet demand and seek corporate sponsors.

"I never thought of myself as a founder of a nonprofit," Kay said. "I just thought, 'I'm a guy who likes to do good through video, a filmmaker.' But it was really through people saying, 'Hey, how are we going to get involved?' I just sort of stepped up."

Kay said the food and watching the game are important.

"Then we're able to tackle on a deeper essence of the person, to build them back up," Kay said. "And so the bigger picture from day one was to really bring back a connection to people who do not have it so they could go on and to rebuild their own lives."

Super Soul Party works with existing nonprofits. Expanding beyond New York has been accomplished through volunteer coordinators connecting with homeless shelters and other groups in their own towns.

Erika Harsanyi in Orlando saw one of Kay's videos from an early party and wanted to host one in her city. She too often felt helpless as a trauma nurse seeing homeless people needing more help than what an emergency room could provide.

Now Orlando is about to host its first party with approximately 500 people expected at Exploria Stadium, a space big enough to feel safe during a pandemic. Harsanyi said the Super Bowl offers homeless people an experience most people take for granted.

Carlton Bussey, 57, has attended several of the parties in New York. A case manager for people with mental disabilities, Bussey now works in a men's shelter after dealing with his own substance abuse that left him homeless for a time. He says the parties offer a sense of normalcy.

"You feel like you belong to something good," Bussey said. "People don't pay a lot of attention to people who are homeless, you know?"

Kay has big dreams to keep expanding the nonprofit's reach with more events held throughout the year. But he also sees tying them in with big sporting events such as soccer's upcoming World Cup.