CAC SAAC COMPETITION: 6 Schools Compete In Thanksgiving Drive To Support Local Food Banks

Six Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) member institutions will participate in the conference’s first “food drive challenge” to support local food banks in their respective communities.

The challenge was first issued by representatives of The University of Mary Washington at the Sept. 19 CAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) meeting at Stevenson University. 

CAC SAAC committees that have accepted the challenge include those from Frostburg State University, which is in its first year of membership in the conference, along with Marymount (Va.) University, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Stevenson University and Wesley College.

The other three CAC member institutions have different community service projects running concurrently with the food drive, such as York College of Pennsylvania’s Christmas in the Community celebration, which has been nationally recognized by the National Association of Collegiate Athletics Directors (NACDA) in each of the past two years. 

There is also interest among the conference member institutions to have a blood drive competition during the spring semester.

UMW has conducted a November food drive to support a food bank in Fredericksburg, Va., for more than a decade.  The entire university participates annually, pitting competitions between residence halls, clubs, athletic department and others.  Prior to joining forces for the campus-wide competition, the athletic teams compete internally for top honors within the department, which earns the winning team a pizza party.

The CAC competition will be determined by total weight of the food collected, primarily from Monday, Nov. 8 to noon Friday, Nov. 12.  Two schools will collect food during a different period in November because of scheduling conflicts, but all participating schools will conduct a five-day drive in support of their local food banks.  Each competing CAC school is encouraged to also have an internal competition among the teams within the athletic department. 

The school SAAC representatives will submit the total weight of food collected to the conference office, and the winner will be announced the week of the Thansgiving break.  Each school will then donate all the collected items to local food banks in time for distribution prior to Thanksgiving.

For information to donate food or participate in the project, please contact the athletic department or the SAAC advisor at the respective school.