Monday, November 26, 2007
The Border Showdown was held both on and off the football field Saturday as the KU and MU Alumni Associations teamed up for a food drive. The drive supported Harvesters, a Kansas City, Mo., based food bank.
KANSAN
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The University of Missouri proved to be the winner of both the game and the drive Saturday, donating $8,092.75, the equivalent of 40,664 meals. The Jayhawks donated $3,923.25, or 19,779 meals.
Paula Pratt, Harvesters director of community outreach, said the organization was thrilled with the cooperation from both schools, and the results of the “competition.” She said the schools set an aggressive goal for the first-time event, and did very well by providing the Kansas City area with more than 60,000 meals. Pratt said she thought the school rivalry helped boost participation in the drive.
“Everyone was so competitive in such a friendly way,” Pratt said.
Pratt said Harvesters started in 1979 and provided 150,000 pounds of food the first year. Harvesters has grown to serve 550 agencies, in 13 counties in Missouri and Kansas and provided 26 million pounds of food in 2006.
Jennifer Alderdice, KU director of student programs, said the food drive idea began early last summer. She said both schools thought it would be a nice gesture to do something for the Kansas City community because the game was at Arrowhead Stadium this year.
Fans could donate canned goods at bins located around the stadium, give cash to Harvesters volunteers walking around tailgates, or donate to Harvesters’ virtual food drive on their Web site. Alderdice said the virtual food drive proved to be the most successful and convenient for people, and if the drive was repeated in the future, the online donations would be more encouraged.
Pratt agreed it was easier for people to donate online before Saturday’s game, or donate from home if they weren’t attending the game but still wanted to contribute.
“At the stadium, everyone is so focused on the game as they should be,” Pratt said. “Instead of lugging canned goods to the game, online gave people a more convenient way to be engaged.”
Christina Gering, student alumni association member and Wichita junior, helped organize the event. She said the schools had worked on the food drive all semester, and she thought it was a good project because the rivalry helped the participation, and the schools worked together so closely.
“A lot of people wanted to beat Mizzou in both areas,” Gering said. “We may not like each other that much, but it was for a good cause.”
— Edited by Kaitlyn Syring
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