At the end of every action-packed football season, National Football League writers select and honor the league's MVPs.
Tuesday, the Professional Football Hall of Fame and Campbell's Chunky soup honored the NFL's "MVMs" - Most Valuable Moms.
During a special ceremony at the Hall of Fame in Canton, hosted by the New York Giants' Michael Strahan, 13 mothers of NFL players were inducted into a special Campbell's Chunky soup Most Valuable Mom exhibit.
The display celebrates the role that the mothers have had in shaping the lives and careers of their football-playing sons.
On hand to honor the "MVMs" were Chunky soup "spokesmoms" Cathy Lynch, mother of John Lynch, SS, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Wilma McNabb, mother of Donovan McNabb, QB, Philadelphia Eagles; and Louise Strahan, mother of Michael Strahan, who were also named honorary "MVMs." The 10 additional 2003 Chunky soup Most Valuable Moms are:
-Queen Davis, mother of Stephen Davis, RB, Carolina Panthers
-Judy Gonzalez, mother of Tony Gonzalez, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
-Linda Harrison, mother of Marvin Harrison, WR, Indianapolis Colts
-Nancy Jones, mother of Dhani Jones, OLB, New York Giants
-Beverly Joyner, mother of Nick Luchey, FB, Green Bay Packers
-Mary Taylor Ojo, mother of Bobby Taylor, CB, Philadelphia Eagles
-Marilyn Porcher, mother of Robert Porcher, DE, Detroit Lions
-Elizabeth Rackley, mother of Derek Rackley, TE, Atlanta Falcons
-Eartha Whitfield, mother of Bob Whitfield, T, Atlanta Falcons
-Kathy Wistrom, mother of Grant Wistrom, DE, St. Louis Rams
Calling All NFL Moms
Nominations for the Chunky soup Most Valuable Mom award were accepted from current NFL players and mothers of current NFL players.
Nominators were asked to write a brief essay that described how the nominee met three criteria: 1) level of commitment to and personal involvement in her son's athletic endeavors; 2) level of dedication to the advancement of her son's aspirations on and off the field; and 3) voluntary and altruistic service to both her community and her son.
Nominations were judged by a panel of representatives from the NFL, the Professional Football Hall of Fame and Campbell Soup Company.
More than 40 NFL mothers from across the country were nominated for the honor.
"Ever since we began incorporating the real-life mothers of NFL players into our famous Chunky soup 'Mama's Boys' campaign, we've learned that these women are the true stars," said Jeremy Fingerman, President, U.S. Soup - Campbell Soup Company. "Not only have they spent their lives making sacrifices to help their sons fulfill their potential, they've also ensured that their sons share the fruits of their success with the community. Their sons love them and our Chunky consumers love them. We developed the Most Valuable Mom award program to give Mom her chance to shine."
In honor of their induction into the Most Valuable Mom exhibit at the Hall of Fame, Chunky soup will donate one pallet of soup (1,800 cans) in each winner's name to their local America's Second Harvest food bank.
The donation will occur in October as part of Tackling Hunger(tm) Month, one initiative of the Chunky soup season-long Tackling Hunger 2003 effort.
Click for Cans is Back for Tackling Hunger Month
Fans across the country can actively participate in Tackling Hunger Month through the popular Click for Cans(tm) program starting Oct. 1.
The unique on-line food drive on the Chunky soup website, www.chunky.com, encourages fans to click on the helmet logo of their favorite NFL team.
For every click, Campbell will make a donation of one can of Campbell's soup in the name of the fan's designated team toward the goal of 5,000,000 cans of soup to a national food bank.
Click for Cans donations are made over the course of the year to a variety of hunger relief charities across the country, in NFL cities and in many of the 30,000 communities of Campbell retail partners. The program will run through October or until the 5,000,000 can goal is reached.
The goal of the Tackling Hunger program is to raise awareness for the issue of hunger and to generate a massive donation to food banks nationwide.
During the 2002-03 football season, more than 6 million cans of Campbell's soup were donated to food banks across the country. In addition to Click for Cans, fans can do their part to help tackle hunger by visiting www.chunky.com to locate an America's Second Harvest affiliate in their area.
For more information on the Campbell's Chunky/NFL Tackling Hunger 2003 program, visit www.chunky.com. To find a local America's Second Harvest hunger relief agency in your neighborhood, visit www.secondharvest.org.
About Campbell Soup Company: Campbell Soup Company is a global manufacturer and marketer of high quality soup, sauces, beverage, biscuits, confectionery and prepared food products.
The company owns a portfolio of more than 20 market-leading businesses each with more than $100 million in sales.
They include "Campbell's" soups worldwide, "Erasco" soups in Germany and "Liebig" soups in France, "Pepperidge Farm" cookies and crackers, "V8" and "V8 Splash" juices, "Pace" Mexican sauces, "Prego" pasta sauces, "Franco-American" pastas and gravies, "Swanson" broths, "Homepride" sauces in the United Kingdom, "Arnott's" biscuits in Australia and "Godiva" chocolates around the world.
The company also owns dry soup and sauce businesses in Europe under the "Batchelors," "Oxo," "Lesieur," "Royco," "Liebig," "Heisse Tasse," "Blå Band" and "McDonnells" brands.
The company is ably supported by 25,000 employees worldwide. For more information on the company, visit Campbell's website on the Internet at www.campbellsoup.com.
America's Second Harvest is the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization with a national network of more than 200 regional food banks and food-rescue programs, serving all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
It distributes 1.4 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually. America's Second Harvest's network supports approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies, operating more than 94,000 food programs, including food pantries, soup kitchens, women's shelters, Kids Cafes and Community Kitchens.
These local organizations provide emergency food assistance to 23 million hungry Americans, including more than nine million children and almost three million seniors each year. For more information, visit the web site at www.secondharvest.org.
