University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo student-athletes and the Hilo community teamed up to collect more than 200 items of food to donate to local families this holiday season.
As a part of the annual Pacific West Conference outreach, the UH Hilo SAAC (Student-Athletes Advisory Committee) organized collections the week prior to Thanksgiving at two Vulcan volleyball matches. The UH Hilo SAAC organization features at least one student-athlete from each of the Vulcans’ 12 teams.
They collected two barrels of food, which were delivered to UH Hilo’s on-campus food pantry. Overall, the 12 colleges in the PacWest Conference donated 9,357 cans of food and raised more than $2,500 for their local food banks.
“I am really grateful for the student-athletes’ willingness to jump in and help our community,” said UH Hilo Events and Promotions Coordinator Shelly Blunck. “They got the word out through social media, sharing it on each of their accounts. I was really proud of their efforts.”
