On August 5th Jaguars defensive tackle Marcus Stroud and rookie offensive tackle Mike Pearson participated in the 2002 Campbell's Chunky/NFL Tackling Hunger program at the Radisson Riverwalk Hotel.
The two players took their seats on a giant soupspoon scale balanced out by cases of Campbell's Chunky Soup. As part of the program, ten times their combined weight was pledged as a donation to Jacksonville's LSS Second Harvest Food Bank. Together, the players weighed in to generate over 6,600 cans of soup -- some 550 cases weighing 8,448 pounds -- for the food bank.
Local media members were also encouraged to weigh in to help increase the donation. A variety of broadcasters and writers did their part to add 1,476 cans to the total. In all, 10,337 pounds of soup (8,076 cans) will be donated to the food bank to serve those in need in the Jacksonville area.
Tackling Hunger 2002 is a season-long program that begins in the summer with the NFL pre-season weigh-ins. During the summer months, food banks experience a drop off in food donations, so the weigh-in programs come at a crucial time of the year. Campbell's also leads nationwide initiatives during the NFL season to support the fight against hunger and to help communities tackle hunger as well.
Since 1997, Campbell's and the NFL have worked together to tackle hunger resulting in over 26 million pounds of food being distributed to food banks across the nation. In 2001 alone, Campbell's donated over six million cans of soup and hopes to eclipse that total this season.
