MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – As is tradition this time of year, Penn State Harrisburg's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is joining up with fellow schools from the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) to collect food for those in need in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.

The Blue & White will again hold a competition among the College's varsity athletic teams to see which program can collect the most food through Sunday, Nov. 18. Bins labeled with the name of each team are located just inside the lower entrance of the Capital Union Building (CUB). All donations of nonperishable goods are welcomed and will be given to the nearby Middletown Food Pantry.

Last year, Penn State Harrisburg teams combined to collect 250 pounds of food for those in need, with the men's and women's cross country and track & field programs winning the competition for the second year in row.

A number of home athletic contests take place prior to the deadline on Nov. 18. The women's basketball program opens its 2018 campaign by hosting Lancaster Bible on Thursday night before the men's basketball program hosts its two-day tip-off tournament on Saturday, Nov. 10 and Sunday, Nov. 11. The women's squad is home again on Wednesday night, Nov. 14 to host Cairn.

As a conference, CAC schools donated more than 13 tons of food to a variety of food collection agencies and charities throughout the Middle Atlantic Region a year ago. The CAC Challenge concept was initiated by Mary Washington SAAC leadership in a challenge to the other conference members at the organization's Fall 2010 conference meeting.

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