The 24th annual “Souper Bowl of Caring” food drive is returning to Rancho Bernardo Community Church this weekend, timed to coincide with the Super Bowl.
There will be two collection times for non-perishable food and monetary donations. A drive-thru event will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 8 in the church’s upper parking lot at 17010 Pomerado Road.
Items can also be brought to the church before its 9:30 a.m. service on Sunday, Feb. 9.
“The Souper Bowl was inspired and conceived by the spirit of community and the desire to make a real difference,” said Barbara Riddle, who is leading the church’s project this year with her husband, Craig.
“In the beginning local food banks were challenged to collect as much food as possible during Super Bowl weekend. The response was overwhelming, and the Souper Bowl has grown into a nationwide movement.”
Everyone in the community is welcome to donate. The food requested includes canned goods, pasta, rice, beans, cereal, peanut butter, jelly, tuna, macaroni and cheese, snacks, bottled drinks, dry mixes, Cup Noodles and ramen.
No fresh produce will be accepted.
The food will be divided between Interfaith Community Services in Escondido and New Day Urban Ministries in downtown San Diego. For those wanting to donate money, write checks to New Day Urban Ministries. Cash will also be accepted. Please place monetary donations in an envelope and not around canned goods.
From 2002 through 2024, the church’s collective totals since starting the charitable project were 99,533 food items and $74,158, Riddle said.
Several groups will once again participate in the food drive. Leading the project is Carpenter’s Fellowship, which organizes monthly collection drives. Items solicited have included food, toiletries, school supplies, bedding and household items to assist those facing financial difficulties.
Also assisting will be Scouts BSA Troop 680.
Riddle said the food drive makes a difference in the community since approximately 1 in 3 San Diegans are food insecure.
“The Souper Bowl brings our local community together in a shared effort to a common cause,” she said. “It fosters a sense of unity and comion while addressing a critical need.”
The Souper Bowl of Caring food drive is part of a nationwide effort that was inspired by a prayer said in 1990 by a seminary intern at Spring Valley Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina. Brad Smith reportedly said, “Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat,” according to the national organization.
Over the past three decades, the Souper Bowl of Caring food drive has collected over $198 million for food charities throughout the U.S., according to its website. More than 305,000 groups hold a collection on Super Bowl weekend and beneficiaries are in all 50 states.
As for the local recipients, Interfaith Community Services assists those who are homeless and those getting back on their feet financially. New Day Urban Ministries (formerly Presbyterian Urban Ministries) helps those who are homeless, the urban poor, veterans and those recently released from prison.
