Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics will be supporting the Daniel Pitino food drive by collecting non-perishable food items at this weekend's Hampton Inn Thanksgiving Tournament in the Sportscenter Nov. 25-26.
Any fan who brings two items will receive free general admission to the games, either on Friday, Nov. 25
t or Saturday, Nov. 26, or both. (See tournament schedule below.)Â Admission to Panther basketball games are normally $7 for adults, which has already been reduced from $10 dollars last season.
The same promotion will be honored during the women's basketball contest vs. Missouri Baptist at 11:30 a.m. In fact, if you bring two canned food items to attend the women's game you will also be able to stick around for the men's basketball tournament consolation/championship. A three-for-one deal!
"We often ask our scholar-athletes to be a part of something bigger than themselves, so what better way for our department to be bigger than ourselves than partnering with an amazing effort to help our local foodbanks?" asked
Brad Moore, Associate Athletic Director for External Operations. "During this time of the year when our nation pauses to give thanks for our abundance, this is a small way we can hopefully make a difference for even a few people."
This weekend's tournament promotion is a great prelude to the second annual Wesleyan Way Day of Service on Monday, Nov. 28, followed by Giving Tuesday on Nov. 29. Last year's inaugural two-day event included 141 volunteers who served 172 hours in the community and 275 donations totaling $113,000 for the college. The men's basketball team plans to make a visit to the Daniel Pitino Shelter on Monday during Wesleyan Way Day of Service, while the women's basketball team is participating in the Wesleyan Christmas Wish Carnival Tuesday night in Rogers Hall on campus.
Suggested donation items include:
Baby food
Infant formula
Canned soup
Canned stews
Canned fruit
Canned meats
Canned vegetables
Brown rice
Cereal
Chili
Macaroni and cheese
Pasta
Peanut butter
Pork and beans
The Hampton Inn Thanksgiving Tournament includes two games each day. On Friday, Carson-Newman will play Hillsdale at 1:00 pm, followed by Kentucky Wesleyan vs. Winona State at 3:15 p.m. On Saturday the consolation game will be at 2:00 p.m. and the championship game scheduled for 4:15 p.m.
"At Kentucky Wesleyan we believe athletics needs to be about more than just competing, so when the opportunity arose to partner with the Daniel Pitino Food Drive, it seemed like a great fit for us to be able to use one of our events to give back to the community," Moore said.
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