Patchogue, N.Y. – Right now, nearly 50 million Americans are hungry in the United States. One-third of these 50 million hungry citizens are children. Hunger is an issue in every state and in every county; people in your very own community struggle every day to figure out where their family’s next meal is going to come from.

With the holidays fast approaching, a season during which we give thanks for what we have, we are reminded of those who are not as lucky and have very little.

St. Joseph’s College Golden Eagles athletic department is taking a stand against hunger this holiday season with a Thanksgiving Food Drive. Food collected from the drive will be donated to Lighthouse Mission, a Long Island based organization committed to feeding the poor and hungry in our local communities. Any surplus donations will be distributed to St. Joseph the Worker Soup Kitchen and Hope House as well.

How can you help?

You can bring your donations of non-perishable food items or of gift cards to the Danzi Athletic Center where there will be food drive collection boxes from now until November 15. Click the highlighted link for a list of suggested donations.

Thanksgiving Food Drive Donation List

WASHINGTON, DC – University of the District of Columbia took part in the East Coast Conference’s “Team Up to Clean Up” initiative as over 30 Firebird student-athletes helped clean the streets surrounding the UDC Van Ness campus on a beautiful fall morning in the nation’s capital on Friday, October 17th.

Several men’s lacrosse players and the entire women’s lacrosse, men’s basketball and men’s and women’s tennis teams were all divided into groups and assigned a particular area to pick up trash. Women’s lacrosse broke up into two groups and picked up trash on both sides of Brandywine and Albemarle streets; men’s basketball, with assistance from head coach Mike Riley, cleaned up Yuma St.; and men’s and women’s tennis and men’s lacrosse cleaned up near the Soapstone Valley Park trail.

“We are very proud of the work these wonderful student-athletes did on Friday morning, and for the example they are setting for young people throughout Washington DC,” Director of Athletics Patricia Thomas said. “It is important to serve the community, and this event provided our student-athletes the opportunity to enhance the beauty of Northwest DC. They did a phenomenal job.”

According to East Coast Conference Commissioner Dr. Robert Dranoff, the Team Up to Clean Up initiative is a reminder of the impact each individual school can have at its respective community.

“Our student-athletes and athletic departments are role models, I believe, in their efforts to help others,” Dranoff said. “We are all proud of the work they do, and the impact they make in building relationships and partnerships with their communities.”

OAKDALE, N.Y.- For the ninth consecutive year, Dowling College Athletics partnered up with Keep Islip Clean to clean up the community that the Golden Lions call home. Schools throughout the East Coast Conference got in on the action in their respective areas for the 2nd Annual “Team Up to Clean Up” event.

Over 250 student-athletes, coaches and staff spread out across the area around the Oakdale/Rudolph Campus collecting trash, cleaning up parks and parking lots and removing litter from roadways. Golden Lions could be found cleaning up the Oakdale, Ronkonkoma and Central Islip Train Stations, local shopping centers and nearby neighborhoods gathering nearly 100 bags of debris.

“This is such a great event.” Vice President for Athletics Melody Cope said. “Our student-athletes are involved in so many community service initiatives, but this event gives our student-athletes the opportunity to make a difference here in the Oakdale community.”

For the third consecutive year, the men’s lacrosse team spent their time at the Town of Islip Garden and Compost Facility doing extensive landscaping. 8370

Our baseball team headed to Organics Today Farm where they weeded and harvested organically grown produce, and cleaned up the nearby roadside. This farm provides fresh organic produce for over 400 families in the area.

Keep Islip Clean (KIC) is a not-for-profit affiliate of the nationwide organization Keep America Beautiful, Inc. which has over 400 other affiliates like KIC scattered across the country.

Thanks to the support of community and staff members and more than 600 student-athletes, managers and student spectators, Great Hollow Middle School raised more than $2,200 for the American Cancer Society during its third annual Coaches vs. Cancer event on Oct. 9. Football, field hockey, girls soccer, cross-country, cheerleading and kickline teams all performed during the event. All of the proceeds from the event were donated in the name of the late GHMS teacher Arthur Miller.
“Mr. Miller was a beloved sixth-grade teacher who unexpectedly passed away at the beginning of this school year,” said Principal John Scomillio. “He was liked and respected by all who knew him. The results of his outstanding teaching and his influence on our students will live on. Mr. Miller’s presence will be sorely missed.”

Source: http://www.smithtown.k12.ny.us/great-hollow-ms-raises-2200-for-cancer-research/

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Southern Connecticut State football team recently completed a collection for the Give To The Troops organization. The items will be brought to the organization’s Connecticut office this month and then shipped to members of the United States Armed Forces both at home and abroad.

This program is just one example of many community outreach events that SCSU student-athletes will take part in during the 2014-15 academic year as part of the Tim Greer Insurance Agency Community Service Cup.

Initiated in September, 2008, the ‘Community Service Cup’ program provides a competitive format that allows student-athletes to gain an enriched experience through engagement with the on-campus and local communities by supporting ventures of traditional citizens, campus community members and peer students and student-athletes. SCSU student-athletes volunteered nearly 4,000 hours of their time to numerous outreach efforts, both on-campus and in Greater New Haven, during the 2013-14 academic year.

Source: http://www.southernctowls.com/news/2014/10/4/GEN_1004145206.aspx