Contact: Chassidy Holloway, Associate Executive Director, holloway@midwestconference.org
GRINNELL, Iowa — The Midwest Conference (MWC) Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) proudly marks a decade of community service through the MWC SAAC Canned Food Challenge. Since its launch in the fall of 2014, the Canned Food Challenge has made a significant impact, with student-athletes across the league collecting over 106,000 non-perishable food items and raising approximately $32,135 in monetary donations.
Contributions to the Canned Food Challenge have supported numerous local organizations and families in need, exemplifying the commitment of our student-athletes to making a difference in their communities.
As we celebrate this ten-year milestone, the MWC SAAC is excited to announce the evolution of this intiative with a name change from the MWC SAAC Canned Food Challenge to the MWC SAAC Giving Challenge.
While the name may have changed, the goal and implementation of the initiative remain the same. Each member institution's SAAC will oversee campus efforts to collect non-perishable food items and monetary donations to be donated to local food pantries, shelters, or similar organizations of their choosing. Accommodating the varying academic schedules, MWC member institutions have identified a four-week period for collections that aligns within the Challenge dates: Wednesday, October 9, through Tuesday, November 26.
Beginning Thursday, November 7, the league office will post four media releases reflective of each participating schools' collection numbers for the corresponding week of the Challenge. The schedule for the media releases is as follows:
- Week 1 - Thursday, November 7, 2024
- Week 2 - Thursday, November 14, 2024
- Week 3 - Thursday, November 21, 2024
- Week 4 - Thursday, November 28, 2024 (Thanksgiving)
The winner of the 2024 MWC Giving Challenge will be announced in the final release on November 28 with the institution's SAAC receiving a banner to display in their athletics facility.
MWC SAAC Canned Food Challenge Champions
| 2014 |
Ripon College |
| 2015 |
Knox College |
| 2016 |
Illinois College |
| 2017 |
Lawrence University |
| 2018 |
Knox College |
| 2019 |
Ripon College |
| 2021 |
Knox College |
| 2022 |
Cornell College |
| 2023 |
Knox College |