It might not have looked like it from afar, but Packers players Gilbert Brown and William Henderson had charity in mind when they sat atop the handle-end of a giant soupspoon scale in the northeast parking lot of Lambeau Field Tuesday morning.
Taking part in the 'Campbell's Chunky/NFL Tackling Hunger' program, Brown and Henderson had their weight measured in cans of Campbell's Chunky soup. Campbell then made a donation of 10-times the players' combined weight in cans to Paul's Pantry of Green Bay, a local food bank.
With this summer's record by an NFL player standing at 34 cases, Brown shifted the scales at 30 cases of soup, which made for a nice donation and also for a little peace of mind concerning his playing weight.
"Anytime you can help out in any way, it's a good thing," Brown said. "I don't want to get (any) record in this. That means I'm weighing too much and I'm not doing my job. I tried to put a couple things in my pockets so I could bring (my end of the scale) down a little bit more . . . Anything I can do to help out."
Henderson, who came in at 24 cases of soup, said he wished he'd packed his pockets like Brown before taking to the scale.
"I kind of put everything in (my pockets) that I could, but I would have probably put on my sweat gear and put some extra pads in my pockets and actually worn my shoulder pads and helmet down here," Henderson said. "That probably would have given me a couple more ounces. I just can't match big Gilbert."
Campbell also allowed attending media to climb on the scale on behalf of the program. The end result of the Lambeau stop was a donation of 9,794 cans of soup.
Campbell and the NFL have been working together to tackle hunger since 1997, resulting in the donation of more than 26 million pounds of food nationwide. Last season alone, Campbell donated more than 6 million cans.
"Campbell and the Packers are committed to the fight against hunger," said Jeremy Fingerman, Vice President of U.S. Soup. "Together we hope to make a true impact on hunger in Green Bay with a Chunky soup donation."
Hunger continues to be a serious issue in the United States. According to the USDA, more than 31 million Americans do not always know where their next meal will come from. And, according to Bread from the World, 19 million adults and 12 million children in the U.S. live in households that struggle to buy needed food.
For more information on the 'Campbell's Chunky/NFL Tackling Hunger' program, and to find a local food bank in your community, visit www.chunky.com.
