A trio of Monmouth College student-athletes got their workouts in on an unusually warm morning last Friday when they loaded, and then unloaded, a van full of nonperishable food items as part of the fourth annual Midwest Conference Canned Food Challenge.

Fighting Scots student-athletes Katherine Hinman (tennis/Elmhurst, Ill.), Michelle Nafziger (swimming/Prophetstown, Ill.) and Carl O'Connor (track/Wataga, Ill.) serve on Monmouth's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) which spearheaded the four-week canned goods drive as part of the conference's community service initiative. The challenge pits the conference's 10 member institutions in a competition to collect the most canned goods for their local food pantries. The winner will be announced by the MWC this week, but it was the donation to the Jamieson Community Center food pantry, not the competition, that mattered most.

"I wish the students could see the look on the people's faces when they come in," said food pantry worker Davis
Duggins. "We're blessed to receive a variety of donations that help us meet the needs of the community. Without donations like this one from the college, we could see a shortfall in our supply. To all those who donate, I say 'Thank you, thank you, thank you.'"

An average of a dozen families per day takes advantage of the Jamieson Community Center food pantry, which is open year 'round. That number nearly doubles during the holiday season, making the donations even more meaningful.

"It's a great experience for our student-athletes to get out in the community and see the need that's there," said tennis coach Brian Jordan, who supervises Monmouth's SAAC with women's lacrosse coach Elizabeth Demara. "Part of the Monmouth College experience is to become a part of the community and help those in need. It's a lesson we want them to carry throughout their lives."