Access Allegany and Ardent Solutions Host 13th Annual Soup-er Bowl of Caring with Help from Andover-Whitesville Boys Basketball Team
For the 13th consecutive year, Access Allegany, Allegany County's public transportation system, and Ardent Solutions held their Soup-er Bowl of Caring event with help from the Andover-Whitesville Boys Basketball team. Coach Jimmy Joyce said, "The boys had a great time helping last year, so we jumped at the opportunity to do it again."
The event collects food for Allegany County food pantries, culminating in a donation event on Saturday, February 8, 2025, at Tops Markets in Wellsville. The day before the event, the boys collected donation boxes from various locations, starting at the Allegany County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Scott Cicirello remarked, “Access Allegany does a great job organizing it, and the kids getting involved just adds to it.”
The team made several other stops, including the Office for the Aging, Wellsville Elementary & Secondary Schools, Genesee Valley Central School, Jones Memorial Hospital, Community Bank, the Family Resource Center, Prima Salon, First Citizens Community Bank, and the County Courthouse. Allegany County Department of Social Services Commissioner, Don Horan, welcomed the team into the Legislative Chambers while they picked up boxes at the County building. “There are a lot of great youth in our county, doing great things,” he said. “Their help today will benefit so many others.”
"This year, we collected approximately 500 pounds of food," said Becky Nelson, Mobility Safety Specialist with Ardent Solutions. "It’s amazing to get that kind of support from our community, and we appreciate the help of the Andover-Whitesville Basketball team for gathering it all.” Brian Perkins from the Allegany County Youth Bureau Program added, "There are so many instances of young people impacting our community for the better. I am happy that all of our organizations can work together so well to help showcase that for an event like this.”
The event's success was supported by Allegany County, Ardent Solutions, the Allegany County Traffic Safety Board, the Allegany County Youth Bureau Program, Tops Friendly Markets, local food pantries, businesses, and donors.
