WT Alumni Association to Launch Food Drive, Host Alumni Gathering

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, [email protected]

CANYON, Texas - The West Texas A&M University Alumni Association will launch its annual Fuel the Herd food drive Dec. 8, hoping to provide vital support to Buffs over the holidays.

The drive will run from Dec. 8 to 18, gathering nonperishable food items for The Market on Tierra Blanca, a Canyon food bank at St. Helen's Outreach, an arm of St. Ann's Catholic Church.

Donors can drop off their items at Buffalo Courts on the WT campus in Canyon or at Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center, 720 S. Tyler St.

Purchases also may be made on Amazon and shipped to the Alumni Association. To view the wish list, visit bit.ly/wt-fuel-herd25.

Additionally, the Canyon-Amarillo WT Alumni Chapter will host a Mix and Mingle happy hour at 6 p.m. Dec. 11 at Buffalo Courts. Admission is free with a nonperishable food item.

Since it opened in January 2024, The Market on Tierra Blanca has served more than 1,000 WT students, as well as thousands of others in the city.

"WT faculty, staff and alumni support our students in times of need," said Ronnie Hall, executive director of the WT Alumni Association. "Fuel the Herd is kindness in action, and every donation reminds our students that the WT family is always here for them."

According to Feeding Texas, Texas has the highest rate of food insecurity in the nation at 17.6 percent. In Texas, 1 in 6 households are food insecure, and approximately 5.3 million Texans are at risk for hunger.

WT's values are reflective of and responsive to the people the University serves, as laid out inthe University's long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign has raised more than $175 million and will continue through 2025.

About West Texas A&M University

A Regional Research University, West Texas A&M University is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor's and master's degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The University also is home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest's finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men's and women's athletics programs.

Photo: Megan Ward, president of the Canyon-Amarillo chapter of the WT Alumni Association, drops off food for the Fuel the Herd food drive to Ronnie Hall, executive director.

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