A day before ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ 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 β ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs John C. and Martha Hitt and Baylorβs Ken and Alice Starr β worked alongside cheerleaders and fans from both schools.
The St. Maryβs 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 βfirst-class folksβ for giving back during their visit to Arizona. He said the extra help and attention this visit provided for St. Maryβs 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.
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Provost and Executive Vice President Tony Waldrop participated along with ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Vice President and Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury, student body president Melissa Westbrook and vice presidents Maribeth Ehasz, Bob Holmes and M.J. Soileau. ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ quarterback Blake Bortles’ family also helped out.
Also on Tuesday morning, members of the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ and Baylor spirit squads and mascots Knightro and Bruiser visited with children and their families at Phoenix Childrenβs 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 Brooksβ and Troy Aikmanβs Teammates for Kids Foundation, a network of more than 3,000 professional athletes.
The zone includes a theater, performance stage and an interactive broadcast studio where kids create programs for the hospitalβs own TV network.
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.
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ fans also gathered at an Alumni Association watch party to view the Knightsβ menβs basketball teamβs American Athletic Conference opener against Louisville.