On October 3^rd, student athletes scored a big win in a meaningful way.

Families, fans, and students gathered on Missouri State’s turf to cheer on four athletic home events including swimming & diving, beach volleyball, indoor volleyball, and men’s soccer. At the same time, Beth Perine and the acrobatics & tumbling team welcomed donations for the Bear Pantry.

“I wanted to help expand awareness of the Bear Pantry and how it helps the students, faculty, and staff.” Beth Perine, former softball coach and current athlete academic advisor, notes. She also wanted to provide her student-athletes with an opportunity to make an impact in the community.

A collaborative effort, athletic teams and the athletic department shared the message on social media to market the drive.

900+ shelf-stable items were donated to the Bear Pantry.

When Sydney Wilson, the Director of Student-Athlete Development, heard about the event, she jumped at the opportunity to get the Bears Leadership Institute, an athletic leadership development program, involved as well.

The following Monday during their regular meeting times, 17 student-athletes and facilitators filled the Pantry with laughter and hard work to process the donations from the drive. “We have strong athletes. We hauled everything over to the [Bear Pantry] and put people to work…getting athletes involved and giving back,” said Sydney.

“The Bears Leadership event helped our Bear Pantry team a lot following such a big donation drive. It’s a process to haul, sort, inventory, and stock the shelves with so many items. We appreciated their help,” said Natalie Barbieri, Graduate Assistant for the Bear Pantry.

“We have strong athletes. We hauled everything over to the Bear Pantry and put people to work…Getting athletes involved and giving back”

“My favorite part of the event was taking inventory… it was awesome to see the pantry go from just a few items on the shelves to being fully stocked. It was super fun to work with my teammates and the athletic leadership team to refill the pantry,” Evie Kolb, a junior on the swimming & diving team.

Looking back at the event, Beth loved seeing the interaction between the student athletes and the people donating. People were grateful for the opportunity to donate, and the student-athletes expressed gratitude for their donations in return.

People were grateful for the opportunity to donate, and the student-athletes expressed gratitude for their donations in return.

Some people came up to Beth and mentioned how they remember their college years and being hungry sometimes. “There was a lot of ramen going on”, they said. They were happy to help diminish that experience for students.

Highlights

• Beth Perine hosted a food drive for the Bear Pantry during several home athletic events on October 3^rd.
• Over 900 items were donated to the Bear Pantry.
• Following the food drive, athletes and faculty from the Bears Leadership Institute processed and stocked donated items in the Bear Pantry.

Support the Bears at MSU’s upcoming sports events!

Visit the Bear Pantry!