Since its inception in 1997, the annual game between Greensboro College and Guilford, known as the Soup Bowl, has been a local favorite. The Soup Bowl isn’t just another day on the gridiron, Guilford football head coach Kevin Kiesel calls it a real crowd-pleaser because it is a football game that also benefits the community with its canned-food drive.
Therein lies the catch. The Soup Bowl isn’t just about revenue, football fame or grass-stained glory. Instead, attendees are asked to bring canned-food donations to support local food banks. Historically, the event has had a very positive impact for low-income community members, totaling 45,259 non-perishable items since ’97.
The Quakers may have lost 12-7 to the Pride in last season’s face-off but according to Sports Marketing Director Bryan Jones, Guilford won in a different arena.
“We outright smoked ’em in the can collection last year, pulling in about seven cans to (Greensboro College’s) one,” Jones said.
“What really impressed me, though, was that last year, even though the game itself was at Greensboro, (Guilford) still had a higher can count.”
This event is not just for the sports crowd. The Soup Bowl, more so than any other football game in the regular schedule, draws a diverse audience.
“I think the game means different things to different people; not everybody’s main interest is in football,” Jones said. “Some people come out, and this is their one game for the year. They really want to be the ones to fill up food banks.”
Never a singular effort, the Soup Bowl’s charitable reputation rests squarely on the unpadded shoulders of both attendees and the Guilford student-run organization Project Community (PC).
“Project Community gets behind it. They’re the ones that really do a lot of the work, and get Feeding America (a hunger-relief charity formerly known as Second Harvest) out there, get the trucks out there. I give them absolutely all of the credit in the world. They do a magnificent job with it.” Jones said.
Senior Project Community member Christie Atlee brushed off Jones’ beaming remarks, “Basically, we’re just doing the footwork. We’re like an intermediary between Guilford and various nonprofit service providers.”
PC may do the footwork but it is up to Guilford fans to make the real contribution.
With that in mind, come out on Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. and be a team player. Help break the attendance record of 2723 fans, support the football team and help the community in the process.