Ohio State, Miami team up for Cotton Bowl community service project

An error occurred while preparing your download

Ohio State, Miami team up for Cotton Bowl community service project

Food packing project supports North Texas Food Bank

The Ohio State University and the University of Miami Hurricanes may be rivals on the field for the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on New Year's Eve, but the two schools worked together for a community service project today benefiting the North Texas Food Bank.

University leaders, students and alumni gathered at the food bank to help sort and pack nutritious food for distribution to neighbors across a 12-county service area. More than 21,800 meals were packed to support 500 food pantries and organizations that partner with the food bank.

"Buckeyes show up to support our team, and we also show up to support the local community. This long-running Ohio State tradition of bowl game service projects is a meaningful way to partner with the University of Miami off the field, before our teams face off on the field," said Ohio State's Senior Vice President for Student Life Melissa Shivers.

Founded in 1982, the North Texas Food Bank is a nonprofit organization dedicated to hunger relief, distributing donated and purchased food through a network of nearly 500 Partner Agencies and organizations across 12 counties.

Every box packed helps the more than 744,000 people in North Texas who are struggling with food insecurity, including families, children and seniors.

Tracy Stuck, who organized the service project for the Office of Student Life, said this is the 26th time that the office has hosted a service project in conjunction with its bowl game. The goal is to give back to the host city, a tradition that started with the 1998 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

More Ohio State News