Souper Bowl for Caring Campaign collects 250,000 lbs of food for local pantries

Scouts BSA's Scouting for Food event brings in another year of donations

HOUSTON – Thousands of volunteers all over Greater Houston participated in the Souper Bowl for Caring Campaign to help local pantries collect food to help those in need.

Scouts BSA contributed hundreds of volunteers as part of its Scouting for Food event, an annual event that happens the day before the Super Bowl.

Cypress Assistance Ministries was one of more than 75 drop-off and collection sites. Hundreds of Scouts collected food from throughout Greater Houston to bring to area food pantries. At CAM, organizers hoped to collect 30,000 pounds of food. Overall, the groups hope to get even more.

"Sam Houston Area Council Scouts have been out collecting food for our annual Scouting for Food event. We are hoping to collect 250,000 pounds of food to give to all the local pantries," Suzy Weaver, Scouts BSA Scouting for Food chairperson, said.

"We have been sorting it into seven different categories," Miles Basham, a Scout, said.

"Storing the goods, packaging the goods and putting the goods in the nice food pantry over there," Mark Jendjel, another scout, said.

Through unloading, sorting, packaging and transporting, hundreds of Scouts helped to deliver to CAM the largest donation it will receive all year.

"30,000 pounds -- 40,000 pounds -- it goes a long way," Henry Lambrana, Cypress Assistance Ministries food pantry Director, said.

For these Scouts, this day was also about learning.

"This is something that means a lot to me because we are so generously given to in this era, and some people don't have as much, so we need to take what we've been given and give it to the people that need it the most," Ryan Vos, another Scout leader

The food that CAM food pantry received will help them serve the community through July.