Number of Participants: 33
Hours Donated: 4
Value of Time Served: $1,115
Event Type: Hunger
Sport: Schools
Date: December 1, 2014
Location:
300 Carleton Avenue Central Islip
New York 11722, United States
About:
The University of the District of Columbia Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, (part of the Long Island based ECC ) led by president Tiara Goode and SAAC Advisor Eric Zedalis, raised 250 lbs of canned food during this year’s SAAC Fights Hunger Event which was delivered to Martha’s Table just before Thanksgiving on Wednesday, November 26th.
The 250 lbs shattered not only the mark of 182 lbs set by the SAAC in last year’s Second Annual Fight Hunger event but also this year’s goal of 200 lbs. Goode delivered the many heavy boxes of food to Martha’s Table – a D.C. non-profit organization that works to build a better future through healthy food, affordable clothing and quality education.
Boxes for food donations were positioned throughout the campus for a period of about two weeks, including in the athletic center lobby where fans received free entry to select basketball games if they donated a canned good.
A large portion of food was also donated by the Bloomfield College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which teamed up with its women’s basketball team to sponsor a food drive on the BC campus. (See story here) The women’s basketball team then delivered the food to UDC on the day of its game vs. the Firebirds on Saturday, Nov. 22.
“UDC’s SAAC rep and Assistant Athletic Director Eric Zedalis reached out to us and said they run an annual food drive to benefit Martha’s Table in Washington, D.C.,” said Bloomfield’s SAAC advisor Rocco Constantino. “While we are always competitive on the playing fields, it’s great to see teams come together for a bigger cause. Working in college athletics, we have a platform to help our community. Any chance we have to take advantage of that platform, we certainly will.”
SAAC is a committee made up of student-athletes assembled to provide insight on the student-athlete experience. The SAAC also offers input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes’ lives on NCAA member institution campuses. Presently, there are separate national SAACs for NCAA Divisions I, II and III. NCAA legislation mandates that all member institutions have SAACs on their respective campuses. Further, NCAA legislation requires that all member conferences have SAACs.
