HAMPTON, Va. – Leading up to the Governor’s Classic in December, the Hampton University Department of Athletics will be collecting food donations to help the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank in a competition with James Madison University.

The two schools will play a basketball game on Dec. 21 in Richmond, Va. as part of the Governor’s Holiday Hoops Classic.

Fans will be able to donate canned goods and other non-perishable food items at all home athletic events – starting with this Saturday’s football game against North Carolina A&T at Armstrong Stadium. A donation box and truck will be at all football, volleyball, and basketball home games until the Governor’s Classic.

Fans who are unable to donate at the games, or who wish to do more, can also make a monetary donation to the Food Bank online by clicking here.

One dollar donated to the Foodbank equals four meals to those in need. The Peninsula Foodbank serves nine cities: Hampton, Gloucester, James City, Mathews, Newport News, Poquoson, Surry, York, and Williamsburg.

The Foodbank is a charitable organization that solicits, receives, inventories, stores, and distributes purchased and donated food and grocery products to charitable agencies that directly help our neighbors in need.

Since its inception in 1986, the Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula has distributed over 130.9 million pounds of food to neighbors in need. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, the Foodbank distributed enough food to provide over 8.2 million meals.

One in seven people in the community silently struggle with hunger; one in four of those is a child.

For more information on the Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula, visit www.HRfoodbank.org.