SEC athletes are leading students: in a community service project where everyone can donate canned items, like soup, vegetables and sauce, at various places around campus to help people receive the food they need. Ali McGuinn / PHOTO STAFF
In the midst of all the financial problems in the U.S. economy right now, Auburn student athletes have still found the time to give back to the community.
Auburn’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is participating in the Together We Can canned food drive hosted by the schools of the SEC.
“It’s important because it fosters unity in the SEC,” said Adrienne Mills, president of the SAAC.
Mills said although the SAAC does other events such as Toys for Tots and Project Uplift, this is the main event for the school year.
The drive is intended to be a collective effort among all the SEC schools to do a community service project together.
Mills said the food collected will go to the East Alabama Food bank whose lacking the number of needed donations.
“We have had a very dry summer,” said Donna Demous, operations manager at the food bank. “The donations are down and the needs are up.”
The food bank supplies food to 184 agencies in six counties.
It is completely dependent upon donations and gains a huge supply from groups like the SEC that sponsor food drives from them.
“When organizations like SEC hold food drives for us that’s how we obtain food,” Demous said. “Food drives, like the one they’re having, bring in needed products that’s fresh right off the shelf of the store.”
The SAAC will have athletes outside of Kroger and Winn-Dixie Thursday from 4-7 p.m., so residents and students are able to shop and drop off a can on the way out.
“We have people that will be coming in on the weekend for the Tennessee game doing a lot of tailgating, so were hoping that people will contribute, and it’ll be a big game,” said Janice Robinson, adviser for the SAAC.
Robinson said the food drive first began last year when the former SAAC president met with representatives from the SEC schools and decided to do a league-wide food drive for the local food bank in each individual area.
“I thought that for student athletes to want to do something together within a league that was just amazing,” Robinson said.
The committee is hoping to exceed last year’s total by at least 30-40 pounds.
While all canned food products are accepted, there are certain products the food bank is in special need of.
“We’re hoping for all canned meats and canned fruits and vegetables, rice, pasta, macaroni and cheese and peanut butter,” Demous said.
“One-meal products that are chef staples.”
Mills said the food drive kicked off this weekend at the volleyball game and will run for 10 days.
Bins will be set up at all sporting events until the end of the food drive.
The SAAC is expecting a good turnout for donations and encourages all students to participate in the food drive.
“I think it’s important for all of us to make sure that we are contributing to our local food bank, because the food bank helps in time of crisis, as well as helping in time for families who need that assisting, so it’s not just for student athletes,” Demous said.
Auburn residents are able to give to the food bank year round by dropping donations in the bin outside the SAAC office at 375 Industry Drive.
