Beat Bama Food Drive raises 550,000-plus pounds of food in annual competition

In support of the Food Bank of East Alabama, the Beat Bama Food Drive, or BBFD, raised 550,117 pounds of food in this year’s friendly competition with their counterparts at the University of Alabama. Both drives combined raised more than one million pounds for food banks supporting the entire state.

“Beat Bama Food Drive could not be possible without the Auburn/Opelika community and without the Food Bank of East Alabama,” Paige Hall, BBFD president, said. “At our heart, we strive to embody the line of the Auburn Creed, ‘I believe in the human touch, which cultivates sympathy with my fellow men and mutual helpfulness and brings happiness for all.’”

In the weeks leading up to the Iron Bowl, Auburn University’s BBFD challenges the University of Alabama and the West Alabama Food Bank’s Beat Auburn Beat Hunger to a good-natured competition. This friendly food fight aims to educate, unite and serve Auburn University’s campus and surrounding areas by supporting the Food Bank of East Alabama. Since the competition began in 1994, groups from both universities have raised more than 8 million pounds of food combined for Alabamians facing food insecurity.

Although the winning team gets bragging rights over its rival, the real winners are the local families who benefit from the drive during the holiday season. Every month, the Food Bank of East Alabama distributes more than 500,000 pounds of food to those in need, supporting seven counties, and the partnership with BBFD is the Food Bank’s biggest fundraiser. The food and donations raised by the drive are channeled into senior programs, low-income daycares, emergency food pantries, missions and rehabilitation centers that are served by the Food Bank of East Alabama and the West Alabama Food Bank.