A season of 3-point baskets delivers hot soup for LIFE Food Pantry

By Chuck Gibson

LOVELAND, OH (February 17, 2023) – When the Loveland Tiger’s Boys & Girls Varsity Basketball teams filled the nets with 3-point shots, they also filled the LIFE Food Pantry shelves with 3,000 cans of hearty Progresso Soups. 

At noon, Friday, February 17, 2023, the Tiger’s top 3-point shooters from the boys and girls basketball teams helped deliver the 3,000 cans of soup to the LIFE Food Pantry in Loveland. They joined LHS seniors Elly Steinbrunner and Brady Steiner who led the 2023 campaign in partnership with Tigers Inc., Spirit Club and the program sponsor, Jarvis Global Investments, LLC – Art Jarvis. It was a welcome sight for LIFE Food Pantry Executive Director Linda Bergholz who was pleasantly surprised at the success of the program dreamed up by Art Jarvis.

“It’s incredible. I never in my wildest dreams imagined, when he said they were going to do this collection, they were going to do 3,000 cans,” said Bergholz

More than that, she described exactly what those 3,000 cans of soup mean to LIFE Food Pantry and those they serve.

“This will keep us stocked for the rest of the winter,” Bergholz said. “(This) will supply inordinate amounts of soup for several different projects we do. This is just one of the most generous donations we have ever seen happen.”  

The cans of Progresso Soup will help their Senior Citizen Bags, will help Weekend Bags, and all their clients in general. Loveland High School senior Brady Steiner talked about the delivery to LIFE Food Pantry on Friday. He described how “Mr. Jarvis” of Jarvis Global Investments came out Friday along with his wife Kim and his son Austin to make the actual delivery of the 3,000 cans of soup at the food pantry.

“Every 3-pointer made, which was 92 three-pointers made at home games this equaled 12 food cans for LIFE Food Pantry,” said Steiner. “So that’s what we’re doing here today. Boys and girls combined was 92 this year.”

Elly Steinbrunner said they were hoping to hit 100.

“We had a freshman girl who hit a total 3’s home and away of 43, Katy Wilber” Steiner said.

The 3’s For LIFE campaign is in only its second year having collected about 2,000 cans during the 2022 Tiger basketball season. They raised the bar for 2023 setting the goal to collect 3,000 cans. Steinbrunner and Steiner went beyond the hardwoods reaching out to the business community to donate. When it was all said and done, they had about 2,800. That’s when a bonus donation came their way.

“It was close to 2,800,” Steinbrunner explained. “He (Art Jarvis” added another 200 cans to get to 3,000.”

During the delivery at noontime Friday, they brought along about 15 other LHS students from other school organizations that helped make the campaign a success. They included students from Spirit Club, Cheerleaders, Tigers Inc. members, both leading 3-point shooters: Katy Wilber from the girls team and Andrew Breese from the boys team. The impact of this collective effort is not lost on the students.

“When we started this three months ago, I knew I wanted to give back to the community –especially the food pantry here,” said Steiner. “I knew I wanted to be a part of this. We set a goal of 3,000 just to up the number. I think we drilled that number.”

Reaching the goal and going beyond brings a smile of pride to the face of Elly Steinbrunner when talking about what they accomplished this season.

“I am really proud of (our) efforts to get to 3,000 this year,” she said. “Obviously Mr. Jarvis added a couple more cans to help us hit our goal of 3,000 more than what it would have been from just the 3-point shots. Last year it was roughly 2,000 cans so we upped that. I think they made more 3-point shots last year. It just shows we went out to the community more this year and improved our community donations (compared to) last year.”

Loveland Schools Superintendent Mike Broadwater was on hand for the delivery at the food pantry. Pride in the students and the life lesson of giving was his message.

“The biggest thing is the kids learning what a good feeling you get when you do give, and how it helps the community out,” Broadwater said. “The adults leading the way, but they (the students) take charge and did everything with the help of Art Jarvis and Mr. Murnan and everybody involved. It’s just a great thing.”

Broadwater pointed to the lesson the students learn about the feeling you get when you help with the hope it inspires them to keep helping as adults. The idea came from Art Jarvis and Jarvis Global Investments, LLC is the sponsor donor for the 3’s For LIFE campaign. He deflects the credit noting instead the efforts of the LHS students and student organizations that make it happen.

“The idea came from Jarvis Global, but I talked to Mr. Murnan; I didn’t want to just do it,” said Jarvis. “The kids are responsible. They’re the reason it’s successful. I love the fact it is pulling in community, community businesses, Tigers’ Inc, Loveland Spirit Club, the Athletic Department, the Loveland Athletic Boosters and the girls and boys basketball. They are the drivers for a good chunk of this.”

To see it go from about 2,000 cans one year ago to 3,000 cans donated this year meant a lot to Art Jarvis. He knows what it means to LIFE Food Pantry and the community they serve. Mostly he understands what it means to the students.

“I love the Tigers Inc. program,” Jarvis said. “The kids would agree they get to do (things) they would not normally get to do in (the classroom); they work with business leaders and with community leaders. They learn stuff. This is stuff they can take forward, take it when they get older and do the same stuff. It’s good stuff.”

 Katy Wilber is just a 14 year old freshman playing varsity basketball, but she was a major contributor with 43 three-point baskets overall and about half of those coming on the Tiger’s home floor directly converting to more than 250 cans of soup for LIFE Food Pantry. No pressure.

“I feel like I was a big help,” said Wilber. “I feel kind of good about myself to raise that much food for people who need it.

Wilber was not the only one feeling good. All in all, the combined efforts of the students, staff, businesses, community and Jarvis Global Investments, LLC will leave a whole lot of people feeling good and for good reason. Those cans of soup will mean a heart hot meal for a whole lot of people the rest of this winter. Steinbrunner and Steiner are grateful for the helping hands making the 2023 “3’s For LIFE” campaign a huge success.

“A huge thank you to Mr. Jarvis, and to Mr. Murnan for making everything possible, said Elly Steinbrunner. Steiner added: “Our athletic staff, Mr. Bryant and Mr. Lyons.”

They didn’t forget the Loveland community.

“Just a big thank you to the community,” Steinbrunner said, “including Mr. Jarvis. We wouldn’t have as many cans without him and without the generous donations of everyone in the community.”

CLICK HERE to visit LIFE FOOD PANTRY online

CLICK HERE for more about Loveland Schools

CLICK HERE for more about Jarvis Global Investments, LLC