DANVILLE, Va. — Averett University athletics and its Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) helped collect a school-record 17,650 canned goods and food items to win its fourth consecutive USA South Conference "Cans Across the Conference" competition.

Averett's total is the third highest total garnered by one school since the initiative began in 2004. Overall, USA South institutions collected 64,059 items this fall which is the second-highest total in competition history and an improvement of 11,603 from last year. Over the 15-year history of the program, USA South Conference institutions have donated 505,781 items to various organizations.

Averett's record collection benefits the Danville area directly as the Cougars donated all items to God's Storehouse, a local food bank.

Averett SAAC's goal this fall was to collect more than 17,300 items — its winning total from last fall.

"Surpassing our previous items collected record is a huge deal, especially considering how hectic this semester has been with all of the storms and damage that happened locally a few weeks ago," said senior Emily Stanley, Averett SAAC president. "Surpassing our goal to beat last year's record is a great feeling because so many people stepped up and made meeting our goal happen. Winning for a fourth time in a row is a huge accomplishment. The best part of it all is that we are helping those in our community who need it most, especially during this holiday season. So giving back to the community that supports us and surrounds Averett is what makes winning this so special."

The members of the USA South SAAC realized that not everyone is as fortunate as they are and wanted to do something to help make it a happier holiday in their communities. That's when the conference came up with Cans Across the Conference 15 years ago as one of two major initiatives during the academic year. SAAC organized the canned food drive as a community service competition among the 18 institutions in the USA South. Each campus SAAC collected cans and other non-perishable items at their school to benefit a local charity. It was up to each institution to decide how they wanted to collect and to which group the donation would go. The institution with the most items collected is crowned the Cans Across the Conference champion.

Berea College collected 10,465 items, which is the ninth-highest total in a single year by an institution in the history of the competition, to finish second while Methodist University's 8,192 items rounded out the top three.

Overall, the USA South institutions collected 64,059 items this fall which is the second-highest total in competition history and an improvement of 11,603 from last year. Over the 15-year history of the program, USA South Conference institutions have donated 505,781 items to various organizations.

Individually, 13 institutions, consisting of Agnes Scott College, Averett, Berea, Covenant College, Greensboro College, Huntingdon College, Mary Baldwin University, Meredith College, Methodist, N.C. Wesleyan College, Pfeiffer University, Piedmont College and William Peace University improved on their collection amounts from a year ago. Additionally, of those schools, Agnes Scott, Averett, Berea, Covenant, Huntingdon, Mary Baldwin, Meredith, N.C. Wesleyan, Pfeiffer and William Peace set new single-year school records for items collected during this year's competition.


Below is a list of the local organizations where the USA South institutions donated their collections: 
Agnes Scott College: Decatur, Georgia Emergency Assistance Ministry.
Averett University: God's Storehouse Food Bank of Danville, Virginia.
Berea College: Berea, Kentucky-Area Food Bank.
Brevard College: Bread of Life Food Bank and Community Kitchen of Transylvania County.
Covenant College: Chattanooga, Tennessee-Area Food Bank.
Greensboro College: Salvation Army of Greensboro, North Carolina.
Huntingdon College: Montgomery, Alabama-Area Food Bank.
LaGrange College: Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen in LaGrange, Georgia.
Mary Baldwin University: Blue Ridge, Virginia-Area Food Bank.
Meredith College: The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina to help recent hurricane victims.
Methodist University: Fayetteville, North Carolina Urban Ministry Food Bank.
N.C. Wesleyan College: A Touch of the Father's Love Ministry & Food Pantry in neighboring Battleboro, North Carolina.
Salem College: Salem College On-Campus Food Pantry.
Pfeiffer University: Stanly Community Christian Ministries in Albemarle, North Carolina.
Piedmont College: Cornelia, Georgia Soup Kitchen.
Wesleyan College: The Mentor's Project of Macon, Georgia which provides role models for encouragement and motivation to local youth.
William Peace University: Raleigh, North Carolina Urban Ministry Food Bank.