Ohio State volunteers pack produce for north Texas community

For The Ohio State University community, a bowl game is a chance to cheer on the Buckeyes for the season’s final game. And for more than two decades, it has also offered an opportunity for Buckeyes to give back to the host community.

Ohio State’s Office of Student Life organized this year’s project to support the Tarrant Area Food Bank in north Texas. University leaders, faculty, students and alumni joined alumni from the University of Missouri a day before the teams face off in the Cotton Bowl.

“One of the key things that we focus on so much at Ohio State is thinking about kindness, but also thinking a lot about how do we impact the world wherever we are?” said Melissa Shivers, senior vice president for Student Life. “We get to think about the ways that we are going to shape and help to make a community better just because we came together as Buckeyes.”

Dozens of volunteers filled hundreds of bags of apples to be delivered to a service area that includes 13 counties in the Dallas-Fort Worth community. The food bank has served the area since 1982 and provides more than 60 million meals a year.

Peter Mohler, acting president and executive vice president for research, innovation and knowledge at Ohio State, was one of the volunteers working to support the project. 

“To be a part of this morning, to be around so many people that don’t just care about football but care about giving back, means a lot,” he said. “We do a lot in the state of Ohio and we do a lot in Columbus. But I think this shows that Buckeyes are everywhere and want to give back everywhere.”

Both universities helped package more than 25,000 pounds of apples to support meals for more than 21,000 people. Members of the Ohio State Marching Band and mascots from both Ohio State and Missouri inspired the volunteers. 

Tracy Stuck, who organized the service project for the Office of Student Life, said the service tradition has extended beyond Ohio State. After joining the Buckeyes on previous service projects, the universities of Utah, Florida, Louisville and Oregon do similar projects each bowl season.