By Mike Dougherty

WASHINGTON, N.J. (CBS) – Students and volunteers at Washington Township High School in South Jersey were hoping their charity hoagie sale would surpass last year’s $40,000 mark, and it did, in a big way.

4,800 hoagies were sold on Sunday, bringing in nearly $50,000.

They do this every year on Super Bowl Sunday. Hoagie making begins at 5 a.m. and the goal is to make and sell about 5,000 sandwiches at $10 apiece.

21-year-old Kevin has come back to volunteer every year since he graduated.

“(We) try to raise the most money possible for these kids that have these awful situations that they’re in,” Kevin says. “I just hope for the best for their families.”

Organizer Elieen Lucarini and her husband started this about 20 years ago to help families pay for medical expenses. She’s blown away by the program’s growth, as well as the support the town has shown.

“It’s a pure community collaboration of tons of people working side by side,” says Lucarini.

Lucarini says local distributors give them a break on ingredients to keep the bottom line low. The menu, however, is limited.

“It’s Italian hoagies, with or without onions,” she says. “That’s it. Sorry, that’s all we can do. It’s for a good cause.”

She says they’re raising money for more than 15 families this year, including one with a baby girl fighting cystic fibrosis.