Beat Bama Food Drive kicks off 26th year fighting statewide hunger

Published: September 30, 2019
Robert Powers | Office of Student Involvement

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Auburn University Beat Bama Food Drive, an annual student-led effort to fight food insecurity, will kick off its 26th year on Tuesday, Oct. 1. 

Since 1994, the Beat Bama Food Drive and the Food Bank of East Alabama have united students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members to help fight hunger and food insecurity in east Alabama by challenging the University of Alabama and the West Alabama Food Bank to an annual competition collecting non-perishable food for those in need. The good-natured competition has made an impact that reaches far beyond the campuses where it began.

“Nearly one in five Alabama residents, or 18.6 percent of the state, is considered food insecure,” said Martha Henk, executive director of the Food Bank of East Alabama. “The Food Bank of East Alabama serves seven counties in east-central Alabama. The average food insecurity rate in this area is approximately 70,210 people, with 20,080 of those being children.”

In the last 25 years, more than 6 million pounds of food has been collected to feed families around the state.

The drive will conclude on Nov. 21, and a winner will be announced on Nov. 22. Last year, Beat Bama Food Drive collected a total of 255,916 pounds of food.

Non-perishable food items may be donated at any of the collection barrels on campus or throughout the Auburn community.

To learn more about Beat Bama Food Drive, visit www.beatbamafooddrive.com.

Auburn University is a nationally ranked land grant institution recognized for its commitment to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research with an elite, top-tier Carnegie R1 classification, life-changing outreach with Carnegie’s Community Engagement designation and an undergraduate education experience second to none. Auburn is home to more than 30,000 students, and its faculty and research partners collaborate to develop and deliver meaningful scholarship, science and technology-based advancements that meet pressing regional, national and global needs. Auburn’s commitment to active student engagement, professional success and public/private partnership drives a growing reputation for outreach and extension that delivers broad economic, health and societal impact.