“Exceed the need” means more than 5 cans

written by: Grace | Monday, November 17th, 2008 | Uncategorized

If you think we are losing to Alabama in more ways than one. Think again.

Auburn has a shot at winning the Beat Bama Food Drive this year. I know that no matter how difficult or stellar a year either team is having, this game is a toss up. The canned-food drive on the other hand is not. It’s traditionally Auburn’s victory, and we’re taking it back from Bama’s surprising victory last year.

Last year, Alabama students collected an impressive 241,336 pounds of food.

Though, we put up a good fight, Auburn brought in 183,017 pounds.

This is one of the state’s most impressive and biggest food drives. Through the competition’s 14-year history, more than 826,880 meals, which equals 48 tractor trailer loads of food, have been donated. All cans go towards the relief at the East Alabama Food Bank.

This year, Auburn has set a goal of 250,000 pounds.

THERE ARE THREE DAYS LEFT IN THE COMPETITION. SGA has made donating idiot-proof by setting up donations online and setting up canned-food barrels all over the city. Check this out to donate:

http://www.beatbamafooddrive.com/

Currently, we have around 90,000 pounds… Which is good, but not good enough.

As much as I want to “beat bama,” I want to beat the war on hunger.

One out of five children in east Alabama are living below the poverty line.

One out of four senior citizens in east Alabama are living below the poverty line.

Nearly half of the individuals requesting food from the food bank have at least one person working, and of those requesting, 41 percent have a high school education.

Many have had to chose between putting food on the table or paying rent, mortgages or medicines.

All these according to the beatbamafooddrive.com Web site.

Sure, you get spirit points and a can trophy. Yes, the loser must sing the opponent’s fight song at a basketball game (which no one will attend), and there might be a little pride when hearing the winning team during half time of the Auburn v. Alabama football game.

All this means nothing, if we don’t realize the point of it all- end hunger.

Spend half as much money on canned foods as you do on Starbucks and Natural Light, and we’ll be all right.