Clearwater Police Hog Hoagie For Heroes Challenge

CLEARWATER, FL -- It was intended to be a light-hearted competition hosted by Wawa to promote the grand opening of its new Clearwater store at 26508 U.S. 19 N. and raise some money for charity.

But, when it comes to food, police officers and firefighters can't help but get serious.

That was in evidence Thursday morning, Oct. 18, when the Clearwater Police and Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department took up the Hoagies for Heroes challenge, a competition to see who could make the most hoagie sandwiches in three minutes.

"The firefighters might have an edge because they do a lot of food preparation -- and eating -- around the firehouse," joked Police Chief Dan Slaughter.

"We're hoping to slow down the police officers by distracting them with some doughnuts thrown their way," countered Fire Chief Scott Ehlers.

Firefighters may have the food prep experience but, as it turned out, police officers have the speed. At the end of the three minutes, the police team had 35 completed hoagies compared to the firefighters' 27.

That won the Clearwater Police bragging rights and a trophy.

The firefighters claimed they would have won if the police hadn't made them lose their concentration by throwing hoagie rolls and tomatoes at them.

In reality, though, both teams came away winners. Wawa is donating $1,000 to local charities selected by each team. For the police, it was the Homeless Emergency Project and the firefighters chose the Clearwater Firefighters Foundation.

A hoagie, by the way, is basically the same thing as a submarine (sub) sandwich, po' boy, grinder or hero. The name depends on the region of the country you're in.

Wawa, which was founded in Pennsylvania, refers to the sandwiches it serves with the vernacular name, "hoagies." The term "hoagie" dates back to 1953 when Italians working in the Hog Island shipyard in Philadelphia introduced a sandwich loaded with salami, pastrami, provolone and whatever other luncheon meats and cheese they had on hand. They became know as a Hog Island sandwich, which was shortened to "hoggies" and then to "hoagies."

Images via Clearwater Police and Firefighters

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