Kelley Tierney, a State Farm Agent in Buckhannon, is once again rallying the community to support local students in need. The 7th Annual Soup Drive, benefiting the weekend food backpack program for Upshur County students, kicked off on October 1 and will run through the entire month.
“Our goal is to provide 7,000 total cans of soup for the backpack program this year,” Tierney said. “We’ve never missed a goal yet, and with the community’s help, I’m confident we can make it happen again.”
The soup drive aims to collect cans of soup or other nutritious and easy-to-eat food that will be distributed to students who rely on the weekend backpack program. This initiative ensures that children have access to nutritious meals even when they’re not in school.
The need in the community is significant and growing. In Upshur County, like many rural areas, the weekend food backpack program is a crucial lifeline for many families when school meals are not available.
“Last year, working with the [Community In Schools] folks in each school, we were doing 425 backpacks a week out of the nine public schools,” Tierney said. This year, that number is expected to grow.
Tierney’s office, located at 115 East Main Street in Buckhannon, serves as the primary collection point. Kelley Tierney State Farm will match all donations can-for-can.
Community members are encouraged to drop off canned soup donations throughout October. All types of canned soup are welcome, but those that are easy to open and can be eaten without preparation are particularly valuable. Not all kids have access to — or are able to operate — can openers or microwaves.
The soup drive has grown significantly since its inception, when it focused on just a single school.
“When we started this seven years ago, it started for one specific school, Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School,” Tierney said. “A teacher was worried about the kids — what were they going to do during Thanksgiving break?”
Tierney and her State Farm agency decided to see what they could to do help by matching donations of canned goods one-for-one.
“I think our first goal was 1,000 cans, because they did a little over 100 backpacks,” Tierney recalled. “By the third year, it expanded so that any school could participate.”
Since then, the drive has continued to grow.
“So far, in our first six years, we’ve given out over 27,000 cans to Upshur County school kids,” she said.
Community involvement has been crucial to the drive’s success. Tierney mentioned that youth groups, CEOS, and other organizations often contribute after a couple of weeks of collecting.
“Just a couple of cans makes a difference; it really does,” Tierney said. “Two cans become four cans. Four cans become eight cans.”
The collected soup is distributed through a partnership with local schools and the Upshur County Parish House, which stores the food until it is needed.
Those interested in contributing or learning more about the 7th Annual Soup Drive can contact Kelley Tierney’s office at 304-472-5552. The community is encouraged to drop off canned soup donations by October 31 to help reach the goal of 7,000 cans.
