Those in need at the University of Cincinnati can go to the on-campus food pantry to receive relief — and this past weekend, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated 27,000 pounds of food, the largest food donation in the Bearcat Food Pantry’s history.
The truck rolled in ahead of the Nov. 22 football game between Brigham Young University and Cincinnati, which BYU won 26-14.
BYU alumni and fans, Church members and full-time missionaries showed up to help unload the Church’s truck and stock the food pantry shelves.
“I am moved beyond words of how grateful I am for such a generous donation,” Daniel S. Cummins, the university’s associate dean of students, told the Deseret News.
In another service opportunity ahead of the game, BYU alumni collected coats for the Cincinnati NAACP’s winter coat drive and donated funds to help children this winter.
Jim Wilson, the president of the BYU Alumni Association’s Cincinnati chapter, said that fans and alumni tailgate with a purpose. “When we come to a campus like this, we don’t just come and have a party. We try to leave the community a lot better than we found it,” he said.
Following the tradition of previous years, BYU fans have given back to the community during the 2025 football season through the Cougs Care initiative. BYU alumni chapters organized projects at each 2025 road game by finding opportunities to meet needs in every location.
Calling these efforts “a party with a purpose,” BYU President C. Shane Reese said the service projects reflect BYU’s mission to develop Christlike leaders who go forth to serve in their communities around the world.
President Reese said since BYU’s sports teams joined the Big 12 conference in 2023, the school has sought to “develop the courage to be different.”
“We decided that one of the ways we could do that better than anything is to serve in ways that are meaningful to the community,” he said in a news release on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
BYU is celebrating its 150th year, and for the celebration, alumni are invited to do 150 hours of individual service and make a difference where they live.
During another Cougs Care tailgate project on the road this past football season, Blaine Maxfield, managing director of the Church’s Welfare and Self-Reliance Services, expressed gratitude to “be part of the good” happening in the community.
“As we unite in service,” he said, “we not only strengthen our communities but also reflect the Savior’s love in ways that uplift and inspire. When we choose to serve, we follow the example of Christ to care for those in need.”
Read about the other Cougs Care service projects during the 2025 season below.
Feeding students at East Carolina University
During the tailgate ahead of the BYU-ECU game in Greenville, North Carolina, on Sept. 20, fans brought donations for East Carolina Univeristy’s Williams-Ross Purple Pantry.
They filled donation bins with more than 5,000 pounds of nonperishable food and hygiene items for the pantry, which is a campus resource that supports students facing food insecurity.
Leslie McCarlie, a member of the BYU Alumni Association North Carolina chapter, said: “It was such a great opportunity because it’s not only the community of Greenville — it’s actually their university community. The Purple Pantry is an amazing organization that provides food to their students.”
Books for families in Colorado
Ahead of BYU’s game against University of Colorado Boulder in Boulder, Colorado, on Sept. 27, BYU fans gathered books and other supplies for the Family Learning Center of Boulder, which supports bilingual early education for low-income families.
More than 300 requested book titles, along with hundreds of other donations, were collected to help children strengthen both English and Spanish literacy skills, said Jennifer Wise, the chair for BYU’s Denver alumni chapter.
“People are donating books and phonics games and toys, things that help bridge the gap between Spanish and English,” Wise said. “It is definitely a distinctively BYU thing to do. I love to be a part of it.”
Children’s books and food in Arizona
BYU alumni and fans joined “Operation Sunnyside Read and Feed” before the BYU-University of Arizona game in Tucson, Arizona, on Oct. 11.
The service project gathered children’s books and food for the Sunnyside Foundation and Community Food Pantry.
The Church also trucked 40,000 pounds of food to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona.
Chris Firmage, public relations manager for the food bank, said: “It’s such a crucial time for these kinds of donations to come in. We’re going to be able to feed thousands of people.”
Veronica Cruz-Mercado of the Sunnyside Foundation said, “It was really beautiful that you come into these communities and learn about work that’s being done to strengthen those communities and support them in this way.”
University of Arizona Athletic Director Desiree Reed-Francois called the pregame initiative “true sportsmanship” and said: “We’re really grateful for all that the BYU community brings. I think this is an incredible tradition.”
Serving families at Iowa State
The Cougs Care tailgate project before the BYU-Iowa State game in Ames, Iowa, on Oct. 25, honored the pioneer spirit and helped displaced families.
Greg Welch, a board member of BYU’s Iowa alumni chapter, found a connection with Church history in the state: Charles Good, a resident of Des Moines, Iowa, once donated new boots to pioneer children in 1856. So for the 2025 service project, fans gathered cash, coats, shoes and blankets for the Johnston Partnership.
“We want to pay forward the kindness that Charles Good showed members of our Church. There are kids today in Iowa who need shoes,” Welch said.
Johnston Partnership Executive Director Andrea Cook said donations of shoes and money started coming in even before the football game. “It’s been amazing to see the community respond.”
Collecting books with Texas Tech
A tailgate in Lubbock, Texas, ahead of the BYU-Texas Tech University game on Saturday, Nov. 8, became a joint effort between fans of both universities.
During the service project, more than 6,000 books were collected for Literacy Lubbock, a nonprofit promoting early childhood and adult literacy.
BYU alum Andy Reid and Texas Tech alum Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs head coach and quarterback, respectively, promoted the book drive on social media ahead of kickoff.
Kim Marsh, the chair of the BYU Alumni Association’s Lubbock chapter, said: “As a BYU alumna and someone who lives in Lubbock, it was really important for me to serve this community. We’ve fallen in love with the people of West Texas. They have big hearts and love their people.”
Chris Richards, president of the Texas Tech Alumni Association’s Lubbock chapter, said the partnership quickly grew. “Everyone wanted to help, so we decided to make this a weeklong event to raise that much more for Literacy Lubbock.”
BYU’s Tyler Stahle contributed to this report.
