On Nov. 17, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) held its annual Hoops for Hunger event, featuring a 3-on-3 round-robin basketball tournament. The goal was to raise money for the Durham Cornucopia Food Pantry, a nonprofit organization dedicated to alleviating material, emotional, and spiritual poverty. They provide high-quality food to community members in Durham, at UNH, and neighboring towns who need it.
“All of the donations from all the teams entering go towards the Durham Cornucopia Food Pantry. It is part of our big initiative to collect canned foods, which goes from the end of October to the beginning of December,” said Sally Rainey, UNH’s senior women’s soccer goalie and SAAC’s co-president.
This initiative is driven by the America East Food Frenzy, a canned goods drive aimed at providing resources for nine campus communities within its region. Each of the nine schools is challenged to collect as many canned and nonperishable food items as possible.
When asked where UNH stood among the other eight schools, Rainey explained, “We just reported our first numbers. After doing our school competition within the field house sports teams, we had just over 1,400 cans. So we are in second place right now to all the other America East schools. Tonight, we raised just about $500, which is really awesome. So we will go and buy more cans and add those to our count.”
With the help of the $20 admission fee from all participants in the Hoops for Hunger event, UNH can donate even more to families in need and, perhaps, inch closer to first place on the America East leaderboard.
At its core, this initiative is about fostering connections and bringing communities together. While the competitive aspect appeals to athletes, the event goes beyond the court by inviting recreational enthusiasts to participate as well.
“We are all athletes, so we like being competitive. But this is a really good way to connect not just athletes but also people down campus that just might like playing in the rec. And this is one of our events that we try to connect not just athletes, but students as well. Everyone enjoys playing basketball, so it is easy to get people involved,” Rainy said.
The Lundholm Gymnasium buzzed with joy that night, alive with students immersed in spirited competition and camaraderie. Cheers echoed as they encouraged one another, and mingled on the sidelines.
“Hoops for Hunger is super rewarding. It is just a fun opportunity to be in a teamsmanship environment while also giving to those in need,” said Zach Temertzoglou, a SAAC member and participant of the event.
