Posted February 20, 2017

Sixteen Catholic schools and parish religious education programs (PREP) in the Philadelphia Archdiocese took part this month in the “Souper Bowl of Caring,” a national food drive coordinated locally by Nutritional Development Services in which youth and their communities help those in need.

Participating students chose to bring a can of soup to school or donate $1. Some schools increased participation by offering incentives such as a dress-down day in exchange for one can of soup. All students and staff were encouraged to donate to the drive, which ended around the time of the N.F.L.’s Super Bowl.

The money and canned goods will be donated to 30 food cupboards in the Philadelphia region. NDS reports that the 15,000 pounds of goods donated was the largest amount for the drive in recent years.

This includes such top schools as Msgr. Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High School, whose students collected 2,017 cans of soup, and Cardinal O’Hara High School, with 900 cans. Other participating schools and programs included:

Our Mother of Consolation School, Chestnut Hill;
St. Matthew School, Philadelphia;
St. Maximilian Kolbe PREP Program, West Chester;
St. Albert the Great School, Huntingdon Valley;
De Paul Catholic School, Philadelphia;
Philip and James School and PREP Program, Exton;
Our Lady of Mount Carmel PREP Program, Philadelphia;
Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, Bryn Mawr;
St. Aloysius Academy, Bryn Mawr;
Cardinal Foley Regional Catholic School, Havertown;
Sacred Heart School, Manoa;
St. Genevieve PREP Program, Flourtown;
St. Ignatius School, Yardley;
St. Laurentius School, Philadelphia.