AUSTIN — The Souper Bowl of Caring has officially kicked off its 29th year of tackling hunger.
Each year, organizers use the excitement and hype leading up to the Super Bowl in February by encouraging community members to participate and support local hunger relief groups through money and food donations. This year's goal is to collect three million meals for Central Texans.
This is a crucial time of year for food donations: During the holiday season, donations are constantly coming in, however it begins to drop off some once the new year rolls around. But the need remains high.
This year's event kicked off at Veritas Academy with a pep rally, where students alongside members from H-E-B and Randalls boxed up food donations headed straight for the Central Texas Food Bank. Youth from around the country and in Austin coordinate their own food drives to encourage donations within their own communities and schools.
"The food bank gets so depleted in the holidays, so this is a perfect time to restock the food banks to get them through the winter. So, it's a wonderful opportunity," said Connie Yates with Randalls Food Markets. " It's not a miracle on 34th street, it's a miracle in Central Texas."
"Some of those stores are ringing bells, cheering, really encouraging everyone to give back to the community, whether it's a dollar or buying a bag of food, it's really great to have that sense of community in every store," said Felicia Pena, public affairs manger for H-E-B.
One in six Central Texans struggle to find their next meal. To help the Central Texas Food Bank in their mission to help all those who are food insecure through the Souper Bowl of Caring, you can find pre-packaged bags filled with non-perishable food items for less than $10 that you can bring to any register at H-E-B, Central Market or Randalls. You can also make a quick donation using a scan tag for $1, $3 or $5 at H-E-B or Randalls locations. Every dollar donated goes directly toward putting meals on the tables of area families in need.
Donations for the Souper Bowl of Caring will be accepted at store locations through Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 3.
To learn more about how to get involved in this year's campaign, click here.
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