Nease student selected for Souper Bowl of Caring board

Melissa Daigneault reported to Historic City News the appointment of local student Rohan Bhargava of St. Augustine to the 2016-2017 “Souper Bowl of Caring” National Youth Advisory Board.

Bhargava is the son of Hemant and Amrita Bhargava from St. Augustine, Florida. He attends Nease High School and became involved with Souper Bowl of Caring through Nease and its “Blessings in a Backpack” program.

“To me, the Souper Bowl of Caring represents an opportunity to help the community where I attended elementary and middle school, and make a visible, tangible difference in the lives of those kids,” Bhargava said. “I’m extremely excited for Nease High School’s annual SOUPer Bowl, where local restaurants come together in a tasting even to help raise funds for the Blessings in a Backpack program at Nease.”

During September and November, Bhargava attended the organization’s national youth training conferences in Houston, Texas. He is one of 15 students from 13 states chosen through a competitive national application process to serve as a member of this prestigious board. Bhargava will spend January and February serving as an advocate for the organization and jumpstarting fundraising drives in the St. Augustine community.

“Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us to be mindful of those without even a bowl of soup to eat,” Minister Brad Smith prayed with the youth group of his South Carolina church in 1990. From that prayer, “Souper Bowl of Caring” was born.

In 2016, 6,800 local organizations collected over $10.4 million in cash and food items nationwide — and every bit went to local organizations that help people in need, according to Daigneault. She told Historic City News that more than $125 million in cash and food items have been raised to date.