Student-Athletes set new mark in Rally to Stop Hunger

Though the fall sports seasons are just getting underway, Simpson student-athletes have already set a school record in 2014.

The record had nothing to do with points, touchdowns, runs or goals. It had to do with lending a helping had.

Simpson student-athletes, in conjunction with Sodexo and the Sodexo Foundation, recently collected more than 2,400 non-perishable food items at the third annual Rally to Stop Hunger food drive.

In addition to the athletes themselves, teams, coaches, intramural groups, faculty and staff members all chipped in to contribute 2,412 items, up from roughly 1,600 a year ago.

A partnership between the athletic department’s Wayne Carse Storm Athletic Benefit, Sodexo, the Student-Athlete Advisory Council and Simpson Intramurals, the items donated as part of the Rally were donated to the Helping Hand in Indianola.

“A special thanks goes out to everyone who participated in this year’s event,” said John Harris, campus services general manager at Simpson. “The food and non-perishable items we collected will go a long way in helping folks in our community.”

Items were collected from Sept. 2 to Sept. 5, the date of the Wayne Carse Storm Athletic Benefit. A competition was held between Simpson’s athletic teams, with the winning team determined by the most donations relative to the team’s roster size.

The swimming teams took home the title, as the women won the competition by donating 29 items per team member. The men’s team was second at 14.45 items per member and the volleyball team finished third at 9.91 items per team member.

The football team donated the most total items with 940.

The Sodexo Foundation works to ensure that every child in the United States, especially those most at-risk, grows up with dependable access to enough nutritious food to enable them to lead a healthy, productive life.