FAYETTEVILLE – Razorback student-athletes, in conjunction with the University of Arkansas Global Campus and Tyson Foods Inc., collected 93,965 pounds of canned goods for area food banks during the recently completed Southeastern Conference’s Together We CAN food drive.

The record total eclipsed last year’s amount by more than 12,000 pounds (81,671) and represented an astonishing 77 percent of the combined total of 121,400 pounds of canned food collected by all league schools as part of the program.

Locally, the SEC Together We CAN drive was held in conjunction with the University of Arkansas' World Food Day efforts which runs from Sept. 16 to Oct. 16. All donated food was matched on a 10-to-1 basis to a total of 60,000 pounds by Tyson Foods Inc., and donated to the University’s Full Circle Campus Food Pantry and the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank.

“I want to thank the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and our student-athletes for their efforts in helping collecting nearly 94,000 pounds of food for those in need through the SEC Together We CAN Drive,” Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long said. “I am extremely proud that the University of Arkansas played such a pivotal role in the overall success of the SEC Together We CAN program. By partnering with Global Campus and Tyson Foods, Inc., we were able to expand our reach by generating more food to help fight hunger in Northwest Arkansas. It was a team effort and we are grateful to our friends at Tyson Foods, in the University’s Greek Life community and to all those who helped us with support for this important effort.”

Coordinated by members of the Arkansas’ Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Razorback student-athletes collected canned goods at the stadium and in tailgating areas prior to the Troy football game. Food bins were also set up for contributions at home soccer and volleyball matches during the food drive.

On Sept. 24, student-athletes from many of the Razorbacks’ 19 sports volunteered their Saturday morning to collect donations at local Harps stores. Collection bins were also staged in a number of athletic department facilities to accept donations.

The food drive received a tremendous boost from members of the University of Arkansas Greek Life community, including the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity who donated 25,000 pounds of canned goods collected as part of the Lambda Chi Alpha Watermelon Bust. The annual event raised a total of more than 100,000 pounds of canned food to help meet the needs of local food banks.

In five years of the SEC Together We CAN Drive, student-athletes and administrators have raised more than 599,543 pounds of food for food banks and local charities across the Southeastern Conference’s region.