Everything is different in this age of Covid-19, including an annual effort in which Minnesota schools gather food donations for the hungry. The MSHSL Sack Hunger program is now in its third year, with one major difference from the first two years.
Previously, schools with football teams involved in the state tournament were invited to participate. With no football season this fall, every school in the state is eligible to take part.
More details will be forthcoming, but here are the broad outlines: Schools gather non-perishable food items, come up with a total weight of their donations, then deliver them to a local food shelf or similar spot. Schools let me know the total weight (in pounds) of their donations.
Previous Sack Hunger champions were Spring Grove in 2018 and Owatonna in 2019. Spring Grove collected more than 2,500 pounds of food and Owatonna came in with more than 3,000 pounds. At both of the winning schools, I delivered 100 commemorative Sack Hunger T-shirts; at a basketball game in Spring Grove and a pep fest in Owatonna.
The 2020 Sack Hunger campaign will begin once school resumes in individual school districts and will run through Thanksgiving week. I plan to announce the winning school the week after Thanksgiving.
As always, I can’t wait to see what our schools and communities will do.
--Follow John on Twitter @MSHSLjohn, listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts and hear him on Minnesota Public Radio.
