Help the Gamecocks Earn a Point in Palmetto Series at Annual Food Drive

Gamecocks fans can play a part in continuing South Carolina’s dominance over Clemson in the Certified SC Grown Palmetto Series by taking part in the annual food drive competition between the two schools. South Carolina is hosting the Carolina Can Food Frenzy event at Colonial Life Arena from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. before the women’s basketball game against Clemson on Thursday, November 15.

👂up #Gamecocks – @dawnstaley has some instrux for you this week…@PalmettoSeries @TeamGamecocks pic.twitter.com/0gIimG2yeP

— GamecockWBB (@GamecockWBB) November 12, 2018

“The fact that we’re playing Clemson to basically end the Carolina Can event is really cool,” said beach volleyball senior Shannon Williams, who is one of the three executive officers in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. “Hopefully it will generate a lot of fan interest, and even if they’re coming to pull for Clemson, they can still bring donations because the most important thing is that we’re helping to feed the hungry.”

Fan are asked to bring non-perishable food items to the event which will feature a DJ, food trucks (weather permitting), and a silent auction with autographed items from South Carolina coaches Dawn Staley and Frank Martin, among others.

“All the donations will go to Harvest Hope Food Bank, and there will also be a 50/50 raffle where fans can make a monetary donation if they don’t bring a food item,” said Student-Athlete Development Assistant Carmen Rollizo, who overseas community outreach events for the Gamecocks. “You can donate a dollar or so to get a ticket for the reverse raffle, and the winner gets half of what is raised while the other half goes to Harvest Hope.”

“With the 50/50 raffle and the silent auction, it’s a cool way to generate some money and a fun way for fans to be involved,” Williams said.

For fans that can’t make the event, donated food items can be placed in drop-off boxes inside the Dodie Academic Enrichment Center, the Rice Athletics Center, 650 Lincoln, or at the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center, as well as the three Columbia-area BI-LO stores located on Devine Street and Forum Street in Columbia and on Knox Abbott Drive in Cayce. Donations are also accepted through the Harvest Hope Food Bank web site at HarvestHope.org.

“I think fans like that they can be a part of the Palmetto Series.”
Shannon  Williams, Beach Volleyball

The food drive benefits Harvest Hope Food Bank and Golden Harvest Food Bank. The winner of this match-up will be announced prior to the Clemson vs. South Carolina football game on November 24.

South Carolina has won the Palmetto Series three years in a row, and while most of the points in the annual competition are settled by the student-athletes in the playing arenas, raising food donations to help end hunger in the state is an area where the public is directly involved.

“I think fans like that they can be a part of the Palmetto Series,” Williams said. “Every year that I’ve been here, my teammates and I go to BI-LO, stand by the collection bins and talk to people. When they know what it’s about they’re more likely to say, ‘heck yeah’ and they come around with two bags of food. It makes a difference when we’re out there. It makes the biggest difference having the student-athletes there to encourage people to donate.

“Clemson doesn’t have beach volleyball, so this is a way I can contribute to the Palmetto Series.”

The University that raises the most donations in non-perishable foods by November 19 will earn a point for their school towards the 2018-19 Certified SC Grown Palmetto Series standings. Collected food donations between the two schools will be measured in pounds, and money donated will be converted to a number of pounds via an equation used by Harvest Hope and Golden Harvest.

Find out more about the Certified SC Grown Palmetto Series by visiting PalmettoSeries.com.