Beat Hunger! Beat Pandemic!

Food Drives in West Alabama didn’t stop giving back to their community when the Pandemic started. Instead they started giving back more to families in need.

Center for Service and Leadership works hand in hand with the West Alabama Food Bank

Tuscaloosa, Ala.-

The need for food has grown since the start of the Pandemic for some families and individuals in West Alabama. The Beat Auburn Beat Hunger organization at The University of Alabama works alongside the West Alabama Food Bank to give back to those in need. Over, 291,000 pounds of food was raised which will go to nine counties in West Alabama which are Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Marion, Pickens, Sumter and Tuscaloosa.

Due to the Pandemic, Beat Auburn Beat Hunger was no sure if they would receive the same amounts as in previous years. Since the University held a moratorium for the first few weeks during the Fall Semester to help slow the spread of Covid-19. Therefore the majority of the donations were bought to the West Alabam Foodbank until the moratorium was lifted. However, Olivia Hannun exercise science major, and the President of Beat Auburn Beat Hunger, said this was their most successful food drive yet.

“We were worried if we would get the same amount donated that we normally do,” Hannun said. “Luckily we were able to raise more than we normally do and that really supports the food bank into the summer months so it’s a really vital and important part of this community and we were able to beat Auburn.”

Jennie Keough, Public Relations major, and Vice President of Marketing for Beat Auburn Beat Hunger said virtual events were held to raise awareness about food insecurity and hunger amongst people in West Alabama through Beat Auburn Beat Hunger.

“ All of our meetings and events were held over zoom where we talked about hunger issues in West Alabama,” Keough said. “However, when things started to open up we limited the number of in-person events we held and recorded them using Tide Source.”

Beat Auburn Beat Hunger is a six-week food drive that competes with Auburn University leading up to the Iron Bowl to see who can raise the most monetary and food donations. Students are allowed to place canned goods in the red barrels or donate directly to Beat Auburn Beat Hunger. However, all pick-ups and donations had to recorded by members of Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger. Beat Auburn Beat Hunger will be starting up again in the Fall of 2021 to give back to their communities and those in need.