MCKEESPORT, Pa. – This November, Penn State and Ohio State will engage in a first-of-its-kind competition outside the football field, with the two schools facing off to see which can raise the most support for campus food pantries.
From midnight on Sunday, Nov. 17, through 11:59 pm on Saturday, Nov. 23, the Tackle Hunger Penn State vs. Ohio State Giving Challenge will raise money for each school’s respective campus food pantries, which support students experiencing food insecurity. The winner will be the school that captures the greatest number of $5 gifts, and supporters can choose to make multiple contributions.
When Penn State wins, students at Penn State Greater Allegheny (GA) in McKeesport win! Gifts made to the Tackle Student Hunger Fund will be directed by the Center for Character, Conscience, and Public Purpose to support food pantries located at campuses across the commonwealth where student need is greatest. Every $5 gift provides 20 to 25 meals or may be used to help stock pantries with other basic need items like toiletries and paper products.
Members of the Penn State Greater Allegheny community gathered to celebrate the opening of the Little Food Pantry, built to help decrease food insecurity.
“It is such a privilege to serve GA students through our food security initiative”, said Erica Willis, director of Trio Student Support Services. “College students across the nation carry the burden of being food insecure and students at GA are not exempt. Our campus community has prioritized helping students meet their basic needs, and the number of students who have used this resource have doubled over the past year. The students we have served are so thankful for the resources that we are able to provide, and we appreciate the Jefferson Regional Foundation whose funding allowed us to begin this work in a meaningful way.”
“This is a unique and exciting challenge,” said Rich Bundy, vice president for development and alumni relations at Penn State. “Yes, it’s a chance to compete with our football rival, especially leading up to our teams meeting in Columbus. But more importantly, we are shedding light on the personal hardships that can compromise our students’ education, and we are raising critical support to help Penn Staters stay in school and earn their degrees.”
Gifts must be made to the Tackle Student Hunger Fund to count in the challenge totals. More information about the Tackle Hunger Giving Challenge can be found at tacklehunger.psu.edu and once the challenge goes live, gifts may be made through the event website or by texting BEATOSU to 71777.
Gifts made to the Tackle Hunger Giving Challenge will advance "A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence," a focused campaign that seeks to elevate Penn State’s position as a leading public university in a world defined by rapid change and global connections. With the support of alumni and friends, “A Greater Penn State” seeks to fulfill the three key imperatives of a 21st-century public university: keeping the doors to higher education open to hardworking students regardless of financial well-being; creating transformative experiences that go beyond the classroom; and impacting the world by fueling discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship. To learn more about “A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence,” visit greaterpennstate.psu.edu.
If you have questions about the Tackle Hunger Giving Challenge, contact the Office of Annual Giving at 814-863-2052.
If you have questions about the Food Security Initiatives at Penn State Greater Allegheny, visit greaterallegheny.psu.edu/food-security or contact George Barron by email at [email protected] or by phone at 412-675-9180.