If you are looking for Brooklyn Jackson on a Saturday during football season, chances are you’ll find her in South Bend, IN.  Brooklyn, the office manager at the Pregnancy Care Center in Niles, MI, oversees one of the concession stands at all the home football games at the University of Notre Dame. 

The Pregnancy Care Center has had a concession stand at the home football games since 2014, and Brooklyn has been overseeing it since 2016. “It really is a lot of fun,” says Brooklyn, “It’s fast paced, but fun, and you get to interact with a lot of different people.” 

The PCC Concession stand is the first stand in the Visitor’s Section of the stadium and, as a result, Brooklyn has met people from all over the country. “We had a fan from Georgia once who told us that we were the nicest stadium they’d ever been to,” says Brooklyn. 

The Pregnancy Care Center depends on volunteers to run the concession stand. It takes approximately 14 people to keep the stand going, and all volunteers must be over the age of 16. People can volunteer on their own or come with a small group. “Volunteering at the Concession stand gives you a chance to meet and fellowship with other groups who love the ministry of the PCC,” says Brooklyn. 

Every volunteer has an important role to play to keep the stand functioning. There are cashiers who collect the money, cooks who prepare the food, and runners who get the food to the customers. The PCC concession stand sells hot dogs, brats, nachos and pretzels. 

You do not have to be a Notre Dame fan to volunteer at the concession stand. In fact, according to Brooklyn, you can even root for the other team. “You do have to wear a Notre Dame shirt and hat,” says Brooklyn, “but it’s all for the love of the ministry! Don’t let the fact that it’s Notre Dame be the reason you don’t volunteer!” 

PCC volunteer Debbie Sobanski and her husband volunteered at the concession stand during the 2017 season. In speaking about her experience, Debbie says, “My husband was not in the least bit interested in coming to help at the concessions with me, but at the last minute changed his mind. We made so many fun memories from doing it together that he’s already said he will do it again next year! That’s saying a lot for a devoted U of M fan who wasn’t too crazy about helping at an ND game!” 

15% of the sales from the ND concession stand goes directly back to the ministry of the PCC. This money is used to help the PCC serve families, babies, and individuals in Michiana, helping people choose life and live a Hope-filled life.  

But that’s not the only way the Notre Dame Concession Stand funds are used. 

“We are also able to bless other ministries through the money we receive,” explains Brooklyn. “Customers are given the opportunity to leave tips for our stand and last year we used those tips to help the Salvation Army in Niles as well as the One Beautiful Night program for cancer survivors that is put on by Pulse FM.” 

The ND concession stand is also a great way to share the love of Jesus as well as information about the PCC and the prolife cause with people from all over the country. “Our name tags say ‘Pregnancy Care Center’, and we are allowed to tell the people who come to our stand all about us,” says Brooklyn, “there are no restrictions on what we can say.” 

Are you interested in volunteering for one of the ND Concession Stand dates? Brooklyn would love to have you join her team! “You can be a part of our ministry without even walking in the doors of our building, and you will have a lot of fun, too! So come join our ND family!”