MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – For the second year in a row, Penn State Harrisburg's Student-Athlete Leadership Council (SALC) is joining the United East and the conference's student-athlete advisory committee (SAAC) for the "United Feast" Food Drive set to begin on Friday, Feb. 2. 

Penn State Harrisburg will be collecting canned goods during the initiative that will run from Friday, Feb. 2 through Sunday, Feb. 11. A collection bin will be labeled and located outside the front desk in the bottom entrance of the Capital Union Building (CUB). All Penn State Harrisburg staff, faculty, students, and visitors are encouraged to participate in the charitable initiative. All collected items will be donated to Penn State Harrisburg's WE cARE Pantry and the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. 

In lieu of buying tickets for Penn State Harrisburg's upcoming men's and women's basketball doubleheaders on Wednesday, Feb. 7 and Saturday, Feb. 10, fans are instead encouraged to donate two canned items to gain entry to the games.

"This is an initiative we are really excited about," said United East Assistant Commissioner Sam Carges. "Last year, our SAAC groups were able to make a big impact in their surrounding communities and this year, with the largest conference in Division III, I can't wait to see how much more we can do."

Last year marked the first ever "United Feast" with the nine member institutions gathering over 2,500 canned goods and other non-perishables for their local food pantries. 

Throughout the week, totals will be relayed to the conference where a leaderboard will show which schools are leading the initiative.

"Our student-athletes thrive on competition," continued Carges. "When one of our SAAC leaders suggested making this into a competition between schools, everyone jumped on board immediately."