WEST CHESTER, PA — A spirited campus competition tied to Super Bowl weekend helped West Chester University students collect more than 2,500 food items to support classmates in need.
Student organizations from the College of Business and Public Management organized the annual “Soup-er” Bowl Food Drive, gathering a total of 2,508 items, including ramen, soup, canned goods, and other shelf-stable products. The donations were delivered to the university’s Resource Pantry to help students facing food insecurity.
The friendly rivalry brought together multiple student clubs and volunteers across campus, with teams competing to collect the most items while contributing to a shared goal of supporting fellow students.
“We wanted to create an opportunity for our CBPM community to come together around a meaningful act of service that would directly benefit members of our University community,” said Dr. Dorothy Dottie Ives Dewey, associate dean of the College of Business and Public Management and a professor of planning. “Our Dean’s Office staff helped coordinate the event, but the real energy came from the students and faculty advisors who mobilized their clubs. Seeing nearly every club participate and more than 2,500 items collected far exceeded expectations and was truly inspiring.”
Lilyana Campbell, an MBA candidate and graduate sales trainer for the WCU National Sales Team, said the competitive aspect helped energize participants.
“What motivated our team to participate is wanting to be an impactful part of student lives here at WCU, since we are a student-led team here at WCU,” Campbell said. “Our team really enjoyed getting competitive with this event and we are looking forward to the next.”
Campbell’s team, working alongside the CEO Entrepreneurship Club, collected 787 items to earn first place in the competition. The Accounting Society partnered with Beta Alpha Psi to gather 567 items and claim second place. The Student Veterans Group and the Criminal Justice Student Association tied for third place, while Women in Business received honorable mention.
Additional participating organizations included the Economics & Finance Society, the Geography & Planning Society, and the Pre Law Society.
Thank You to Organizers and Participants
Organizers credited the Dean’s Office staff of the College of Business and Public Management, student leaders, and faculty advisors for coordinating the event and encouraging participation across clubs. The effort also relied on the generosity of students, faculty, and staff who contributed food donations throughout the drive.
With more than 2,500 items now stocked at the university’s Resource Pantry, organizers say the success of this year’s “Soup-er” Bowl Food Drive has already sparked enthusiasm for continuing the tradition next year.
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