Inaugural Bergen County Souper Bowl Collects over 3000 Cans for Local Food Pantries

Hackensack, NJ – While the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles were making their final preparations for the big game this past Sunday, the students of the Bergen County Technical School District were hard at work collecting cans of soup for local food pantries for the Bergen County Souper Bowl event.

This inaugural event was a collaboration between the Bergen County Technical School District and the Bergen County Food Security Task Force – part of the Bergen County Department of Human Services.

“Bergen County Technical School students and staff are so proud to be engaged community members, continuously interested in service projects that provide assistance to our local neighbors,” said Bergen County Technical School District Superintendent Dr. Howard Lerner.

The competition was composed of two teams – Bergen County Academies Hackensack & Northern Valley Demarest/Old Tappan Program vs. Bergen Tech Teterboro, Paramus Tech, and Applied Tech High School. Students collected cans at their schools from mid-January to this past Friday before the game; after all cans were counted the Bergen Tech team was victorious – collecting over 2000 cans.

“Congratulations to the students of the Bergen Tech team for their valiant efforts in collecting so many canned food items leading them to become convincing champions of the Bergen County Food Security Task Force’s inaugural ‘Souper Bowl’,” said Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco. “This friendly competition for a cause, supports the critical work of the Task Force and our local food pantries across our County. I would like to thank everyone who took part in the inaugural competition and look forward to seeing it grow in the years to come.”

The cans collected by the students will support two local food pantries – with the BCA team donating to the Center for Food Action in Hackensack, and the Bergen Tech Team donating to the Open Door Community Center @ NJ Vineyard Church in South Hackensack. The cans will be used as a part of regular food distributions for clients at each pantry.

“Our kids stepped up to make a difference and will continue to be a force in how we end hunger in Bergen County,” said Bergen County Commissioner Tracy Zur. I’m so grateful to the administration for their cooperation and to the students of all the participating schools for making an impact. As the need for food persists, our pantries need our support. We hope others in our community will follow the lead of our high school students and donate their time and resources to help so many of our neighbors who are struggling.”