Sept. 21, 2007

AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn student-athletes are joining their peers throughout the SEC in a league-wide canned food drive that begins Friday and will run through Sept. 30.

Canned food collected by Auburn student-athletes during the drive will be distributed to the East Alabama Food Bank.

"Community service is one of the areas we are really trying to focus on this year," said Summer Ragsdale, a junior soccer player and chairman of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at Auburn. "The SEC `Together We CAN' food drive is a great way to give back. It will benefit many area families in need."

Collection bins will be placed at several Auburn athletic events over the next 10 days. Canned food donations will be accepted at Auburn home soccer and volleyball contests beginning this weekend.

Bins will be placed at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum for Friday's volleyball match against Tennessee at 7 p.m. Cans will also be collected at both home volleyball matches next week as the Tigers host Kentucky at 1:30 p.m. Sunday and LSU on Sept. 28.

The Auburn soccer team is asking fans to bring canned goods when it hosts Louisiana-Lafayette at 2 p.m. Sunday and again next week in a home match against Kentucky on Sept. 28 at 7 p.m.

Collection bins will also be placed in the Charlotte G. Lowder Student Athlete Development Center and the adjoining Athletics Complex on Donahue Drive and at the training room in Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. Ragsdale urges Auburn employees and fans to join in the effort.

"Even if they can't come to these athletic events, bins will be available at the Athletics Complex," Ragsdale said. "We hope Auburn supporters will take part in this good cause."

The Southeastern Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is spearheading the 2007 SEC Together We CAN Drive. The SEC SAAC is comprised of two student-athletes from each institution.

SAAC was established to serve as a medium of communication through which student-athletes, conference administrators, institutional representatives and coaches discuss and take action on issues relating to rules governance, student-athlete welfare and community service.