Alabama is heading to Oklahoma to play the Sooners tomorrow. But, that’s not the only football related news today. The totals will soon be announced for the annual Beat Auburn Beat Hunger food drive. Students at Alabama and Auburn collect for their local food banks with the winner getting the bragging rights between these cross-state football rivals. Kennedi Preston is President of Alabama’s food drive. She says along with canned goods, students can use their on-campus meal plan swipe cards to donate…
“We actually have a location that just opened up November 8th, called the Bama cares pantry, but it's the student wellbeing office, and they collect guest meal swipes,” said Preston. “So each freshman student, or each student has a meal plan, gets ten guest swipes per semester that they can bring someone who doesn't have a meal plan.”
Preston notes that incoming freshmen are prime candidates for food drive donors. That because they’re new to campus, working to fit it, and getting used to traditions at the University of Alabama. Graduating students and UA alums also continue to pitch in for the annual charity event benefit local food pantries.
“I actually had a meeting earlier this in the drive with the president of the Tuscaloosa County Alumni Chapter, and they were great,” said Preston. “They really want to help out in any way that they can. We've had some Tuscaloosa alums that are business owners in the community who have been in contact with us. So, it's really exciting to see kind of a combined effort from community and campus alike.”
Alabama gathered over three hundred thousand pounds of donations last year, but Auburn won.
