Razorback Student-Athletes Help Tackle Hunger

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More than 120 Razorback student-athletes participated in Lift Up America, a community hunger relief event.

FAYETTEVILLE – For the fifth-consecutive year, Razorback Athletics and Lift Up America teamed up with Tyson Foods Inc. to tackle hunger in Northwest Arkansas. University of Arkansas student-athletes were on hand Saturday at the Broyles Athletic Center, to help unload and distribute 29,000 pounds of protein, donated by Tyson, to more than 55 of Northwest Arkansas Food Bank's member charities.

"We are proud to once again partner with Tyson Foods and Lift Up America to help provide food to those in need through the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank," said Jeff Long, vice chancellor and director of athletics at the University of Arkansas. "Each year, more than 460 Razorback student-athletes volunteer more than 2,500 hours in a variety of service projects and efforts. This annual event is at the very core of our commitment to ending hunger and enriching the lives of those in our community and around the state."

Long joined John Tyson, chairman of Tyson Foods and a member of the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees; Dave Hannah, chairman and founder of Lift Up America; and Marge Wolfe, the president and chief executive officer of Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, for a press conference in the Broyles Athletic Center to raise awareness of the need for hunger relief.

Following the press conference, a total of 122 Razorback student-athletes representing many of Arkansas' 19 sports programs helped load the food into vehicles from the participating charities. Even with 11 Razorback teams competing this weekend, the student-athlete turnout nearly eclipsed the Lift Up America record for a single university's participation. Arkansas set the record with 134 student-athletes participating last year.

"It was exciting to see so many of our student-athletes volunteering their time to help make a difference in Northwest Arkansas," said Eric Wood, assistant athletic director for student-athlete development. "Teaching our young men and women the importance of giving back to their community is an important part of our student-athlete development program. Lift Up America provides an opportunity for our student-athletes to work side by side to help provide hunger relief."

The donation event was part of Tyson's KNOW Hunger campaign. Tyson's KNOW Hunger campaign is focused on helping more people understand and join the effort to eliminate hunger in America. The campaign includes the recent release of a study on hunger, as well as the commitment to donate 1 million pounds of protein to 37 food banks during the month of March. Each food bank will receive approximately 29,000 pounds of high-quality protein, enough to serve 116,000 meals in each community.

"There are millions of hard-working adults, children and seniors who simply cannot make ends meet and are faced with the realities of hunger," said John Tyson. "We're trying to make a difference in their lives by providing nutrient-rich protein and by increasing public understanding of hunger in our country."

The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank distributes more than 5 million pounds of food annually throughout its four county service area. Approximately 120,000 residents, including nearly 50,000 children and 16,000 seniors, receive emergency food assistance each year from the Food Bank and its member agencies.