Ocean Road 'Souper Bowl' Helps Tent City Residents

students are turning the Super Bowl into a "Souper Bowl" for the sake of residents of

Students will donate large quantities of non-perishable food, early this week,  to those living outdoors in tents in Lakewood, said Jacquelyn Goss, public relations official for the Point Borough school district.

Hosted by the school’s fifth grade character education group, the Character Crew, the 2012 Souper Bowl provides students the opportunity to demonstrate their team spirit as well as their spirit of giving in a unique food drive to benefit those living in a tent encampment.

Founded in 2006 by the Rev. Steve Brigham through his Lakewood Outreach Ministry Church, Tent City is now home to more than 70 homeless men and women.

Located about a mile from Lakewood’s Industrial Park, which is off of Cedarbridge Avenue, Tent City provides shelter for the area’s homeless.

Because Tent City's only stream of revenue is donations, Brigham regularly visits schools and other sites to raise awareness about the outdoor living conditions of the homeless in Tent City. One of those visits was to Ocean Road.

Souper Bowl 2012 is the school’s third food and supply drive in support of Tent City since that visit.

“The Super Bowl provided a perfect opportunity to integrate the excitement that surrounds the game with a lesson about social consciousness,” said Ocean Road’s Principal Sheila Buck.

 “All Ocean Road students from kindergarten through grade five were asked to bring in a food item from the Souper Bowl Wish List to be placed in a donation box designated for the team they think will win the Big Game,” Buck said.

“In less than a week’s time, our students have brought in an overwhelming amount of canned goods and nonperishable items,” she said, gesturing to two tables piled high with canned food items and other non-perishable goods, and decorated with either a blue or red balloon to represent the New York Giants and New England patriots respectively.

“Regardless of the game’s outcome, the true winner will be the residents of the Tent City, who will not only benefit from the food and other items, but also by knowing that the students at Ocean Road Elementary School care about them,” Buck said, explaining that in the past the students have included personal messages of encouragement to Tent City’s residents.

Buck said that previous food and supply drives have resulted in Brigham returning to the school to accept the donation as well as to participate in an educational assembly for the students, an event the principal hopes to repeat.

“Minister Steve is a great role model for our students,” she said. “He helps us remember that the homeless are a very real part of our community. He has a dream to make the world a better place and he works daily to make that dream a reality.”

Buck also praised the generosity of her students, adding, “I am extremely proud of our students' enthusiastic response to the Souper Bowl. It is a testament to their strong sense of compassion toward the plight of the homeless.”

“Sometimes in life, we can take for granted the simple things like having a roof over our heads, safe food to eat and clean water to drink,” said Superintendent of Schools Vincent S. Smith.

“It is activities and experiences like this that reminds us how fortunate we truly are and hopefully encourages us to reach out and lend a hand," he said.

"Ocean Road Elementary School’s students and staff enthusiastically answered the Tent City’s call for help with this food drive,” Smith continued. “As new challenges inevitably arise, I am confident our students will continue to respond with an inspiring degree of civic responsibility.”

Tent City accepts donations of food, clothing and household items daily. Any unused items are distributed to Lakewood’s poor during thrice weekly visits to Lakewood’s Town Square, where the Reverend assembles tables of goods for those in need.

To find out more about Tent City, or what you can do to help, log onto their website at www.tentcitynj.org.

To find out more about the Point Pleasant School District, visit the district website.