Beat Bama Food Drive breaks competition record with 352,389 pounds of food collected

The 28th annual Beat Bama Food Drive concluded on Nov. 18 with a record breaking 352,389 pounds of food collected to benefit the Food Bank of East Alabama. This is the highest total ever raised by both universities with the previous record belonging to the University of Alabama in 2018 with 309,194 pounds.

In total, Auburn University and the University of Alabama collected a record 671,826 pounds of food, with the University of Alabama’s Beat Auburn Beat Hunger Drive accounting for 319,437 pounds.

“This was definitely one of the best teams we’ve worked with over the past 28 years,” Martha Henk, executive director of the Food Bank of East Alabama said. “It is not an overstatement to say that this food drive determines whether some families will have holiday meals and have adequate food for their families beyond the holiday season. The food raised by Beat Bama Food Drive equates to more than 271,000 meals!”

According to Henk, the food collected is distributed into senior programs, low-income day cares, emergency food pantries and missions and rehabilitation centers that are served by the Food Bank of East Alabama and the West Alabama Food Bank.

Since 1994, Beat Bama Food Drive has collected more than 4 million pounds of food uniting students, faculty, alumni and community members to help fight hunger and food insecurity in East Alabama. This unique competition leverages the rivalry between the schools as they benefit local food banks, the state of Alabama and those facing food insecurity.

“This is the largest food drive our food bank has ever experienced,” Henk said. “While it’s great to come out on top of this competition, the truth is that the real winners of the competition are the food insecure families fed through the food bank network.”

Beat Bama Food Drive would like to specially thank the following sponsors who made the food drive possible:

AuburnBank

Shipt

Gin Jager Studio

New South Research

Kroger

Lynch Toyota of Auburn

For more information on Beat Bama Food Drive, click here.