UA Wins 2007 Beat Auburn Beat Hunger Food Drive Competition

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama has won the 2007 Beat Auburn Beat Hunger Food Fight by collecting 241,336 pounds of food to top Auburn University’s collection of 183,017 pounds of food.

The annual event, created by the UA Community Service Center and the West Alabama Food Bank some 14 years ago, takes place during the four weeks leading up to the “Iron Bowl” football game between the two schools.

Students, faculty, staff, alumni and the Tuscaloosa community “fight” Auburn University and the Food Bank of East Alabama to see who can collect the most nonperishable food items for families in need in the area and in surrounding counties.

The final 2007 totals were announced by the food banks today.

The annual food drive is sponsored by the Community Service Center, Bama Dining, the Student Government Association and the West Alabama Food Bank.

While UA has not claimed the Food Fight title since 1999, the two universities combined have raised more than 1.2 million pounds of food since the event’s inception in 1994. This year, UA and Tuscaloosa beat the losing streak and exceeded the goal of 200,000 pounds of food, which is roughly 50,000 pounds more than UA raised last year.

“The Community Service Center thanks all student organizations, UA offices and departments, professors, staff members, local businesses, local schools, civic organizations, and religious organizations who helped to make holiday meals possible for many needy families in West and East Alabama,” said Valerie Phillips, CSC director.

“The Community Service Center is very proud to have this tradition as one of its signature projects,” Phillips added. “A special thanks to my BABH student coordinators, Lindsay Griffith and Paige Poole, who did a terrific job organizing and rallying the campus and community in this effort. I’m incredibly proud of my student staff members and UA students for their dedication to this cause.”

Web site: http://www.volunteer.ua.edu/babh/