BUCKHANNON – State Farm agent Kelley Tierney hopes to collect 4,500 cans of soup during her office’s fourth-annual soup drive.

The drive started Oct. 1 and will continue through Oct. 31.

“We have the goal of donating 4,500 total cans of soup to the ‘Go Wild, Feed a Child’ Backpack Program, supporting all Upshur County school children,” Tierney said. “Any donation our office receives during the month is matched, can-for-can, by our office. Last year, we had a goal of 4,000 cans and with the pandemic in full swing, we were not sure would be able to make our goal. However, we knew the citizens of Upshur County are always ready to help our students, so we set an ambitious goal and we met it with exactly 4,000 cans of soup, 2,000 from the community and my office’s 2,000 can match.”

The Go Wild, Feed a Child Backpack Program benefits all students in Upshur County who may experience food shortages during the weekend.

“With almost half of our school children meeting the criteria for weekend backpacks, the need continues to be great,” Tierney said. “We have individuals, church groups, businesses and organizations participate, it truly takes our entire community.”

Donations may be dropped off at Kelley Tierney’s office at 115 E. Main St. in Buckhannon or tax-deductible monetary donations may be made by writing checks to Foundation for Better Schools in Upshur County, with ‘Soup Drive’ noted in the memo line. Paypal is also available on the Foundation for Better Schools in Upshur County’s Facebook page.

“We are in awe every year the way Upshur Countians embrace the Soup Drive and have made it such an important part of the Backpack Program,” Tierney said. “In our first three years, we have been able to provide just shy of 10,000 cans of soup to the Go Wild, Feed a Child Backpack Program through the Kelley Tierney, State Farm Insurance Soup Drive!”