Avon, Avon Lake Square Off For A Good Cause

AVON, OH — When Avon High School and Avon Lake High School take to the gridiron for their annual rivalry football game on August 30, the two teams on the field won't be the only people competing. The annual SOUPer Bowl Food Drive winner will be announced at halftime.

Both cities, Avon and Avon Lake, are collecting non-perishable foods and money for the Community Resource Services (CRS) food pantry. The CRS supports vulnerable residents in both cities. The two communities are competing to see which city can collect the most food for the group. Each dollar collected will be counted as five pounds of food.

Donations can be delivered to any school building in Avon or Avon Lake prior to the game, or fans can bring their goods or cash to the the stadium on August 30. The CRS said its biggest food needs are peanut butter, cereal, canned meats and fruits. The food pantry also needs paper products.

Trucks marked for Avon or Avon Lake will be stationed at the football field on August 30. After the first quarter of the football game, the contents of the trucks will be weighed. Whoever has the heavier truck will win.

The winning town will be announced at halftime at Joe Firment Chevrolet Stadium and presented with the SOUPer Bowl trophy. "Congratulations to Avon for winning last year’s SOUPer Bowl, although the real winner is CRS and the families served in Avon and Avon Lake," a spokesperson said.

Last year, Avon and Avon Lake together donated $9,978 and 6,953 pounds of food. Since SOUPer Bowl Food Drive launched in 2010, the communities have donated more than 57,000 pounds of food and collected $99,000 in monetary donations.