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Archbishop Stepinac High School scored big for Westchester families last month, delivering more than 8,000 pounds of food to Feeding Westchester as part of its annual “SOUPer Bowl” food drive. This was the eighth year that Stepinac organized the event.

Stepinac students navigated the ice  to load a Feeding Westchester truck with cases of soup, ramen, and other donated shelf-stable items. Three other Westchester schools — Todd Elementary School of Briarcliff Manor (488 pounds), Alice E. Grady Elementary School of Elmsford (1,420 pounds) and Church Street Elementary in White Plains (300 pounds) — also contributed to the total.

“This year’s SOUPer Bowl drive shows what’s possible when students put their energy and creativity toward helping their neighbors,” said Danielle Vasquez, Manager of Retail Recovery and Food Drive Coordinator at Feeding Westchester. They distributed donations directly to local food pantries, schools, and community partners that serve families who struggle to put food on their table. 

The SOUPer Bowl food drive has become a Westchester “good news” tradition, blending school spirit, competition, and service around the excitement of the big game. 

“This event is rooted in so much love”, said Elden Agee, a senior at Archbishop Stepinac who spoke on behalf of his fellow students. “Love for our community and appreciation for our community—that’s why we were able to come out and donate this amount of food.”

“For our students, this is about seeing how their actions make a real difference,” said Roxanne Covello, Stepinac Teacher and Coordinator of the SOUPer Bowl Drive. “They take pride knowing that the food they collected will help families right here in Westchester. Watching them work as a team and support Feeding Westchester is one of the highlights of our school year.”

Feeding Westchester distributed the donated food locally through its network of 175 partner agencies, including food pantries, community centers, and schools across the county.