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November 19, 2007
Contact: Mike Christie, Sports Information Director
Greensboro Wins Cans Across the Conference
USA South Collects 17,387 Items
(FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.) – The
holidays are a time to give thanks and appreciate the blessings in
one's life. The members of the USA South Athletic Conference
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) realized that not everyone
is as fortunate as they are and wanted to do something to help make
it a happier holiday in their communities. And so Cans Across the
Conference was initiated in 2004.
SAAC organized the canned food drive as a community service
competition amongst the ten institutions in the USA South. Each
campus SAAC collected cans and other non-perishable items at their
school from mid-October through November 18 to benefit a local
charity. It was up to each institution to decide how they wanted to
collect and to which group the donation would go. The
institution with the most items collected would be crowned the Cans
Across the Conference Champion.
Overall, the USA South
institutions collected 17,387 items! Over the four-year history of
the program, USA South Conference institutions have donated 62,117
items to various organizations. With an grand
total of 4,740 items,
Greensboro College is the Cans Across the Conference Champion for 2007.
Last year's champion, Christopher Newport University came in second with 3,243 items
while Ferrum College totaled 3,057 items which was
good for third place. The Pride, winners of the can drive in 2005 as
well, will be presented the Cans Across the Conference Trophy at a
later date.
The institutions got creative when finding ways to collect cans. Methodist
University and Ferrum made it an intra-collegiate
affair by having a competition amongst all the teams in the athletic
department to see who could collect the most cans. Averett
University and Christopher Newport each went Trick-or-Treating for
cans during Halloween while several schools, including Meredith
College and Shenandoah University, asked local grocery stores for
donations.
Each institution donated their items to various organizations in their local
communities. Averett University donated its 1,578 cans to God's
Storehouse, a food bank for the less fortunate in Danville, Va. Christopher Newport made
its large donation to the Peninsula
Food Bank in Newport News,
Va. Ferrum College made its donation to the St. James Community
Center, which offers members of the Franklin County community clothes
and food. Greensboro made their winning donation to the Greensboro,
N.C.
Urban Ministry. Mary Baldwin College donated 444 cans to the The
Valley Mission, a location that welcomes the homeless for meals.
Meredith gave 1,570 cans to North Carolina Food Bank in Raleigh,
N.C. Methodist donated 1,509 items to
the Fayetteville, N.C. Urban Ministries. N.C. Wesleyan College donated its
513
items to the United Community Ministries Shelter in Rocky Mount,
N.C.. Peace College donated
its 117 cans to Urban Ministries of Wake County, which services more
than 13,000 families and individuals in the Raleigh, N.C. every year.
Shenandoah gave its 516 cans to the Community Congregational Action
Program (C-CAP) which is a local agency in Winchester, Va. that aids
the needy in a variety of ways. Finally,
the USA South Conference Office sent its 100 cans to "Save The
Babies" which is an organization helping unwed mothers in
Fayetteville, N.C.
"Our SAAC initiated the "Cans Across the Conference" food drive
three years ago
to assist those less fortunate in their communities," stated USA South
Commissioner Rita Wiggs. "I am glad to see that our student-athletes,
coaches and administrators recognize a need in their communities
and support this initiative to enhance the holidays for our fellow
citizens."
To see the campus SAACs in action, go to http://www.usasouth.net/user/campussaacs.htm.
2007 USA South "Cans Across The Conference" Final Results
| Rank |
Institution |
Cans |
| 1. | Greensboro | 4,740 |
| 2. | Christopher Newport | 3,243 |
| 3. | Ferrum | 3,057 |
| 4. |
Averett |
1,578 |
| 5. | Meredith | 1,570 |
| 6. | Methodist | 1,509 |
| 7. | Shenandoah | 516 |
| 8. | N.C. Wesleyan | 513 |
| 9. | Mary Baldwin | 444 |
| 10. | Peace | 117 |
| 11. | Conference Office | 100 |
Conference Total |
17,387 | |