Running to Fight Hunger
A big shout-out to all of the student athletes who collected more than 16,000 items for the Golden Strip Emergency Relief and Greer United Ministries! BI-LO recently teamed up with student athletes to present the 8th Annual Canned Food Drive 5K, a cross-country competition that supports The Golden Strip Emergency Relief and Greer United Ministries, two organizations that fight hunger in Greenville County and Upstate South Carolina. This year, organizers achieved 24 teams, 937 runners and 16,405 items donated. The items included canned tomatoes, pinto beans, lima beans, black-eyed peas, pork and beans, corn, sweet peas, Ramen Noodles, canned fruit, Spaghettios, ravioli, soup, pop tarts, pudding snack packs, JELL-O, canned meat, crackers and more.
While the race was a big part of the day, the teams also competed for most food donations. The Hillcrest High School cross-country team won this year’s contest by contributing 5,830 canned goods, more than a quarter of the total items donated. “This 5K is a chance for students to come together across the county and help out the community, especially during the fall when food banks are typically running low on supplies,” said Robby Bell, Hillcrest High School cross country coach. “We are so appreciative of the wonderful folks at BI-LO. Their continued support helps us mold our kids into, not only great athletes, but great people. We look forward to working with BI-LO in the future.”