EUGENE, Ore. – Tuesday morning came very early for the Northwest Christian University men’s basketball team. They had just lost an emotional game to Linfield on Monday night, and didn’t even return to the NCU campus until 1:30 am. On top of that, they had to turn around to play another game at 6:00 on Tuesday night.
Extra sleep and game preparation, however, would take a back seat on this crisp morning as the Beacons headed out to West Eugene, participating for the second straight year in the St. Vincent DePaul Turkey Drive.
In lieu of much need extra sleep and their normal game-day shoot-around before their tilt against Simpson that evening, the team headed out to the St. Vincent de Paul Society’s Linholm Center on Highway 99 North, and helped put together and distribute food baskets to Eugene residents in need.
The players arrived at 8:30 am and quickly began hauling the food out to tables by an alley behind the Center, then started handing it out to recipients in the drive-through line.
Head Coach Corey Anderson said, “An event like this really puts things into perspective for our guys. We had a tough loss last night but postgame we talked a little about basketball and more about our bigger mission in life, helping out those that are less fortunate. It is so important for our guys to open up their eyes to a percentage of our population who isn’t in college, maybe isn’t as affluent as the house that they grew up in. They get a nice reminder that there is a lot going on in the world outside of their safe haven at NCU.”
Freshman Mitch Wilson said, “This is an awesome thing for us to do, and it’s one of the things that makes me excited to be a part of the NCU community. We were all disappointed last night after the loss, but coming out here brings a new joy to help people who need this more than we do is really awesome.”
The Catholic charity organization’s annual Turkey Drive, which dates back to the early 1950’s, provides up to 3,000 holiday food boxes, including turkey, bread, fruits & vegetables, baking goods, and pre-cooked chickens for those without stoves. The agency spends the entire year raising money and collecting enough food for the agency’s oldest event.
Senior Cameron Marshall, participating for the second time, said, “This really shows us how much to be thankful for in life. It’s humbling to see how lucky and well off we are. It’s nice to give back to people in need. There are a lot of hurting people out there and it’s so easy for us to give back just a little bit of our time to help them out.”