Eastern Michigan Athletics
Bowling in Boise: Football Completes Day One at Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
12/16/2022 7:55:00 PM | Football
The team traveled to Boise, Idaho and took part in a community service event
Day One Photo Gallery
BOISE, Idaho. (EMUEaglesc.com) – The Eastern Michigan University football team officially kicked off its 2022 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl festivities today, Dec. 16, as it traveled to Boise, Idaho, the site of the contest, and completed multiple activities within the local scene.
Departing from Ypsilanti's Willow Run airport around 10 a.m. ET, each member of the EMU football team, joined by team personnel, University officials, and other official travel party members, enjoyed a 3:29 flight aboard a Boeing 767 300, which touched down in Boise at about 11:54 a.m. MT.
After checking into the team hotel, which features a EMU-Green and White display of balloon arches, team branding, and a 15-foot-wide set of letting that spells "STACK EM," in the lobby, the team enjoyed lunch; Yes, it included a full Idaho baked potato bar, and yes, all indications (based on the number of clean plates) is that it did not disappoint.
After a few moments of down time, the team traveled to nearby Bishop Kelly High School for a community service event alongside next Tuesday's competition, San Jose State University. The event, Albertsons Tackles Hunger, pitted the two programs against each other in an assembly-line style activity that saw them package meals from start to finish. The 42,624 meals, an event record, will be distributed throughout the year to those in need in the greater Boise area.
Following the packaging portion of the event, two student-athletes, one from each program, were honored with the bowl's annual Humanitarian Awards, for their excellent records of community service and impact. EMU's honoree was senior linebacker Tariq Speights (Velencia, Calif.-Valencia-College of the Canyons). During his time at Eastern, Speights has organized numerous peaceful demonstrations surrounding human rights, served on the first-ever panel of Black Student-Athletes, and more, and participated in numerous other student-leadership activities. EMU Head Coach Chris Creighton took the stage to share his thoughts on what made Speights so deserving of the honor.
Following a team meal, the student-athletes officially have free time for the rest of the night. A player hospitality suite inside the team hotel features numerous arcade-style games and a few late-night snacks.
The Eagles will have a full slate of activities tomorrow, Dec. 17. The day kicks off bright and early as Eastern will travel to Albertsons Stadium on the campus of Boise State University for the team's first practice of the trip among other activities throughout the day.
Stay tuned to EMUEagles.com and @EMUFB on social media for updates throughout the day.
About Albertsons Tackles Hunger
This year marks the fourth edition of the Albertsons Tackle Hunger event, which debuted in 2018 and continued in 2019, before taking a hiatus in 2020 due to pandemic-related restrictions and came back last year. Over the last three events, the competing teams exceeded the goal of 120,000 meals.
"Albertsons is excited to continue our partnership with the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl," said John Colgrove, Division President, Albertsons Companies Intermountain Division. "The Tackle Hunger event is aligned well with Albertsons' mission of improving the health and well-being of our local community and connecting people through common action for an important cause."
The meals packaged by the teams will consist of apple cinnamon oatmeal with the Idaho Foodbank focused highly on nutrition. They will be supplemented with an additional 21,000 meals consisting of beef and potatoes donated by several Idaho-based companies that are co-sponsoring the event, including J.R. Simplot Company, Idaho Grower Shippers Association, and Albertsons. The delivery of the prepared meals will help close the gap on feeding the more than 152,000 Idahoans who face food insecurity during the holiday season and throughout the year.
"We are delighted to continue our partnership with the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl to distribute this food to Idahoans facing food insecurity," said Karen Vauk, President and CEO of The Idaho Foodbank. "The Albertsons Tackle Hunger Event demonstrates the importance of working together to improve the lives of those who are struggling to make ends meet."
About Feeding Children Everywhere
Over the last decade, U.S. Hunger has activated more than 850,000 volunteers to distribute over 150 million meals across the globe. We address hunger by engaging volunteers, educating on the root causes of food insecurity, and creating access to nutritious meals for low-income families and individuals. We have distributed meals in 53 countries, and every state of the U.S. (including Puerto Rico), with the vision of a hunger free world in our lifetime. Become a Hunger Hero at www.ushunger.org.
About Albertsons Companies
Locally great and nationally strong, Albertsons Companies (NYSE: ACI) is one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States. Albertsons Companies operates stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia under 20 well-known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen and Carrs. Albertsons Companies is committed to helping people across the country live better lives by making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood. In 2020 alone, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the Company gave over $239 million in food and financial support. These efforts helped millions of people in the areas of hunger relief, education, cancer research and treatment, programs for people with disabilities and veteran's outreach.
About The Idaho Foodbank
The Idaho Foodbank is an independent, donor-supported, nonprofit organization and is the largest statewide distributor of free food assistance in Idaho. The Idaho Foodbank was established in 1984 and since that time has distributed millions of pounds of food through its facilities in Lewiston, Meridian and Pocatello. In the last fiscal year, The Foodbank provided food for nearly 23 million meals to Idahoans living with food insecurity. The Foodbank distributes food through a network of more than 482 partners including schools, food pantries, senior centers, feeding sites, shelters, mobile pantries and churches. Recognizing the crucial connection between hunger and health, The Idaho Foodbank focuses on providing nutritious food and collaborates with community organizations to promote nutrition education, wellness tools and healthy living. Visit idahofoodbank.org for more information. Find us on your favorite social media platform.
