Members of the Student–Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) at Methodist University began collecting canned goods and other non–perishable items in August as part of the USA South Athletic Conference's annual Cans Across The Conference food drive competition. When the competition concluded on Thursday, the Monarchs had amassed a total of 5,630 items to be given to three different causes.
A portion of the items collected by the Methodist SAAC went towards the
Lion's Share Food Pantry on campus, while other items were delivered to Brevard College for recovery efforts in Western North Carolina following Hurricane Helene.
The third initiative that the group chose to support was the Army Thanksgiving Relief Program. After collecting more than what was needed for their initial goal of feeding one family, the group brought in enough items to provide two families with a full Thanksgiving feast.
Competing with other Student–Athlete Advisory Committees, Methodist raised the second most items among USA South institutions this fall, contributing to the conference's total of 23,829 items. Methodist was also one of five schools in the conference that saw a rise in the number of items that were collected, recording an increase for the third year in a row.
In the 20–year history of the USA South's Cans Across The Conference program, member institutions have donated a collective 659,599 items to various local organizations.
