SAAC Acquires 674 Cans In CCAA Canned Food Drive
POMONA — In conjunction with the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), the Cal Poly Pomona Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) acquired and donated 674 canned food items to God's Pantry in Pomona last Thursday.
The food drive was held during the week of Feb. 14-20, and a competition amongst the 11 teams helped the cause. As a result, the CPP volleyball team brought in the most amount of items (359) during the event.
This is the 12th consecutive year that SAAC members from each of the 12 CCAA member institutions have sponsored a canned food drive.
"Food insecurity among college students is the dirty little secret folks don't often talk about," said CCAA Commissioner Mitch Cox. "The CCAA annual food drive serves an important role in helping to resupply on-campus food pantries or community food banks. It's a SAAC-inspired project and one we're very proud of."
The project, which began in 2011, was designed to raise awareness of the plight of those who face hunger and food insecurity in communities surrounding the conference's member institutions. Despite producing nearly half of the nation's fruits and vegetables, 1 in 8 Californians struggle with food insecurity,
according to the California Association of Food Banks. That equates to 4.6 million of our fellow Californians who do not know from where their next meal will come.
Along with the annual conference initiative to give back, supporting students' basic needs is a critical pillar of the
Cal State System's Graduation Initiative 2025, as well.
For more information about God's Pantry and their mission of fighting food insecurity, visit
www.gods-pantry.org.