Local food pantry officials are celebrating the results of the Souper Bowl.
Yes, Souper, it’s not a typo.
During Super Bowl week, more than 20 Clay County schools and churches collected more than 2,400 non-perishable food items for local food pantries, as part of the Souper Bowl of Caring, a youth-led national program created in 1990 to fight hunger. To date, the effort has raised $33 million for charities. Participants choose their own benefactor.
Ridgeview High School students collected 626 cans of soup and $132 for the Clay County Food Bank. Students and staff at Ridgeview Elementary School donated 1,000 items to the Clothes Closet of Orange Park, said teacher Caroline Chandler.
“It was a student council project, promoted very well,” she said. “The students were very enthusiastic about it.”
More than 230 groups on the First Coast were among 17,000 nationwide to participate, said Emily Heeg, Souper Bowl of Caring director for north and central Florida.
“I think its great. I’m excited,” Heeg said, adding it was a record year for school participation.
What an excellent way to get kids involved, said Elaine Halley, volunteer supervisor for the Clothes Closet of Orange Park.
“It’s a great program,” she said.
