A day before UCF and Baylor compete in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, fans from both schools joined together Tuesday to pack emergency food boxes for nearly 2,000 hungry Arizona residents.
About 100 volunteers worked for an hour and a half, loading supplies such as rice, cereal and orange juice into 1,840 boxes that will be given to senior citizens and young families in need.
The presidents and first ladies of both institutions 麻豆精品 S� UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 John C. and Martha Hitt and Baylor 麻豆精品 S檚 Ken and Alice Starr 麻豆精品 S� worked alongside cheerleaders and fans from both schools.
The St. Mary 麻豆精品 S檚 Food Bank Alliance serves 200,000 meals a day and covers two-thirds of the state. Each emergency food box will last three or four days for a family of four in need.
Robert N. Shelton, executive director of the Fiesta Bowl, thanked the volunteers for being 麻豆精品 S渇irst-class folks 麻豆精品 S� for giving back during their visit to Arizona. He said the extra help and attention this visit provided for St. Mary 麻豆精品 S檚 is especially critical as the holidays are winding down and nonprofit organizations begin to have more trouble generating the support they need to meet the needs of their clients.
UCF Provost and Executive Vice President Tony Waldrop participated along with UCF Vice President and Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury, student body president Melissa Westbrook and vice presidents Maribeth Ehasz, Bob Holmes and M.J. Soileau. UCF quarterback Blake Bortles’ family also helped out.
Also on Tuesday morning, members of the UCF and Baylor spirit squads and mascots Knightro and Bruiser visited with children and their families at Phoenix Children 麻豆精品 S檚 Hospital. They played pool and other activities with the children in a state-of-the-art play area established in 2012 thanks to the generosity of Garth Brooks 麻豆精品 S� and Troy Aikman 麻豆精品 S檚 Teammates for Kids Foundation, a network of more than 3,000 professional athletes.
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Earlier Tuesday, members of both spirit squads and mascots Knightro and Bruiser woke up before 5 a.m. to spend time on the sets of two Arizona television stations. They talked with a Channel 12 reporter outside before posing for pictures in the studio with the anchors. Then each group of cheerleaders did a brief cheer during an on-air segment at Channel 3.
UCF fans also gathered at an Alumni Association watch party to view the Knights 麻豆精品 S� men 麻豆精品 S檚 basketball team 麻豆精品 S檚 American Athletic Conference opener against Louisville.