By Cherri Gregg

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – High schools in the region are gearing up to enter one of the year’s biggest food donation competitions in our area.

2013 will make the third year for Shire’s Great Food Fight.

The two week competition invites high schools throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania to collect non-perishable food items that will go to help Philabundance, which helps thousands of families each year.

The schools that collect the most food get cash prizes ranging from $1,000 to $20,000.

“It’s an awesome event for the kids. The kids get really energized for the competition of it,” says David Stango who teaches at PennCrest High School. They won $1,000 last year; he says they really get into the spirit.

“We break it up into a competition between the grade levels. We have a can man- it’s basically a student dressed in a ‘can’ costume who runs around rallying up student donations,” Stango explains.

Last year 21 schools raised 71 tons of food. The deadline for signing up for the 2013 competition is December 31st. For more info, go to philabundance.org.