Cougar Cupboard Wins Donation Drive Competition Against WVU

DSA News
October 27, 2023

By Meli Iracheta-Guerra, Web Project Manager — 713-743-4745

The University of Houston (UH) Cougar Cupboard held a donation drive competition against Big 12 rival, West Virginia University (WVU) from October 9th, through October 13th, 2023. The Cougar Cupboard came out victorious, leading with $2,305 total raised from monetary donations ($1,850), football ticket sales ($310), and 145 pounds of food with over 800 individual items, (worth $145).

This donation drive was part of a friendly competition between Big 12 universities that have food pantries or initiatives to combat food insecurities at their institution. It was developed a few months ago by the Big 12 Food Pantry Alliance, a group of food pantry leaders from Big 12 universities that meet monthly to discuss pantry trends, share ideas, invite guest speakers, and more. Institutions were matched based on their respective football schedules to add more visibility and participation. The UH and WVU competition concluded after the Houston Cougars vs. West Virginia Mountaineers game at TDECU Stadium on October 13, 2023. The Cougar Cupboard’s partnership with UH Athletics on the Food Drive portal allowed participants to not only enjoy a great night of football but also help combat food insecurity on campus. Each ticket purchased provided at least a week of essential groceries for a student.

“Food insecurity is a growing issue on campuses across the nation, so I am grateful that we can work together in this competition to combat hunger. We appreciate everyone who came out to support our UH community!", said Jessica Haney, Program Manager for Cougar Cupboard, Center for Student Advocacy and Community.

More about the Cougar Cupboard
The Cougar Cupboard is housed under the Center for Student Advocacy and Community (CSAC) and was established to address food insecurity at the University of Houston. In an effort to address this significant barrier to student success, the University of Houston opened the Cougar Cupboard in partnership with the Houston Food Bank’s Food for Change market network. Since it opened in 2020, they have had more than 38,000 visits and distributed more than 500,000 lbs. of food. The cupboard is available to all enrolled undergraduate or graduate students who may need access to additional food.