All-Alumni Food Drive Nets Nearly Seven Tons

Badger chapters compete for charity.

Orange County, California, chapter alumni gather during the Wisconsin vs. Cal Poly football game on November 22, 2008; the chapter collected 512 pounds of food. Photo: David Asahina

UW-Madison alumni across the United States collected nearly seven tons of food and donations last football season as part of Bucky’s All-Alumni Food Drive, sponsored by volunteer leaders of the Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA).

The national food drive took place during Wisconsin’s Big Ten football season at alumni chapter game-watch parties. WAA chapters competed for weekly and end-of-season prizes, with the St. Louis chapter claiming first prize overall with 3,735 pounds of food collected. In return, the St. Louis chapter received a $500 donation to its local chapter scholarship fund.

“Bucky’s All-Alumni Food Drive was a win-win program for UW alumni and their communities,” says Paula Bonner MS’78. “Alumni got together to watch some great Badger football. And in turn, they made a difference for their area food banks. It’s amazing what we can do when we harness that UW spirit.”

Other participating chapters included the Motor City Badgers (Detroit); San Diego; Portland, Oregon; Indianapolis; Orange County, California; Mile High Badgers (Denver); Los Angeles; Connecticut; Boston; Philadelphia; Milwaukee; and Rochester, Minnesota.

Published in the Spring 2009 issue