Governor Kay Ivey, student leaders kick off drives to tackle food insecurity
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WAKA) – Auburn University and University of Alabama are one of the biggest rivalries in college football. But off the field, student leaders at both universities are teaming up to help fight food insecurity across the state.
Students and mascots joined Governor Kay Ivey at the Governor’s Mansion to kick off the “Beat Bama Food Drive” and the “Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger Food Drive.”
“Give what you can, spread the word, and help your team run up the score,” says Governor Kay Ivey. “So whether you yell War Eagle or Roll Tide, we can all agree on beating hunger.”
This year marks the thirty-third year of the competition. It encourages Alabamians to come together to donate to their team.
All proceeds are distributed to food banks in west and east Alabama to help feed hungry families in those communities.
“Behind every donation is a person, and maybe a child who gets to go to bed with a full stomach, a senior who receives a warm meal, and maybe a family that feels the support and care of their community during a difficult time,” says Nathan Meintjes, the President of the Beat Bama Food Drive. “It is for them that we stand here today and it is for them that we are ready to roll up our sleeves, come together, and make a tangible difference in the fight against hunger across Alabama.”
“That is the beauty of this rivalry,” says Abigail Herschbach, the president of the Beam Auburn, Beat Hunger Food Drive. “The the harder we compete, the more gets done on both sides of the state. its a competition that no matter which university comes out on top, when the final numbers are counted, the real winners are the families served by the West Alabama Food Bank and the Food Bank of East Alabama.”
Last year, both schools collected more than 1.2 million pounds of food and have collected more than 12 million pounds since the drives were started.
