Eastern, Salem, and West Washington to Tackle Hunger this Fall
For the first time in history, all three county football teams will work together to take down the same opponent: hunger in Washington County.
Turnover Hunger takes aim at fighting hunger by raising money for the Washington County Food Bank Fund in the Washington County Community Foundation.
“The idea is to take something everybody loves (football), and use it to fight something everybody hates (hunger),” explained Andrew Burks, assistant football coach at West Washington High School, who suggested the program. “We shared the idea with others, and it took off from there.
What makes this special is for the first time all three county head football coaches are Washington County born and raised. Phillip, RJ, and Luke are all phenomenal leaders whose respective programs are about more than just winning games. They all want to make a difference in the lives of young men, and in this case, in our community.”
Members of all three teams are now looking for people to sign up and pledge a certain amount of money for each turnover their team forces during the regular and post season play. For example, if a person pledges $1 per turnover and their team forces 25 turnovers, then that individual will make a $25.00 donation to the Washington County Community Foundation for the Washington County Food Bank Fund.
“We honestly have one of the best community foundations in the state,” said Burks. “As a past Lilly Endowment Community Scholar, I can personally speak of the impact our Foundation has had in my life, and the impact they will have in this program will be just as dynamic. Their involvement is essential to the success of Turnover Hunger.”
“While there is some friendly competition going on, everyone is focused on the bigger picture: making sure the elderly, children, or anyone else who needs help getting food in our county, gets fed. It is that simple, and it is that important.”
Players are taking pledges now. This is a great way to demonstrate your school spirit and get involved in a very important cause. Big or small, all the pledges combined will have a huge impact, now and forever.
If you would like to have a pledge form emailed to you, please contact Judy Johnson at director@wccf.biz. You can turn in the pledge form at the Washington County Community Foundation office or at the first home game for your favorite team. Weekly updates will be emailed to participants. Please contact the Washington County Community Foundation office at 812.883.7334 if you have any questions.
