Fans are urged to help the Big 12 Conference in the ongoing fight against hunger. Donations to the Big 12 Basketball Food Drive will be made through a dedicated, secure website. Fans can donate securely online via harvesters.org/big12fooddrive or by scanning the QR code on signage in the T-Mobile Center and City Auditorium.
The 2023 Big 12 Basketball Food Drive, presented by Overland Park-based Compass Minerals since its inception in 2020, has been a welcome addition to the championships held annually in Kansas City. The beneficiary again this year is Harvesters—The Community Food Network, which supplies food and household items to food pantries, community kitchens, shelters and other venues, and hosts educational programs focused on mindfulness and good nutrition.
When donating, fans are encouraged to pledge support to a favorite Big 12 team. The fan base of the team that raises the most money for the Harvesters will be rewarded after the Conference Basketball Championships.
“The Big 12 Basketball Championships have such a strong history in Kansas City,” said Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark. “We are honored to have the opportunity, through our partnership with Compass Minerals, to return to this community with the support of our fans.”
Every fan who donates will be entered to win tickets to the men’s or women’s tournament or memorabilia autographed by their favorite Big 12 men’s or women’s basketball coach. Every dollar donated helps provide two meals, and Compass Minerals will match donations up to a total of $10,000 as it has since the Food Drive’s inception.
“At Compass Minerals, our goal is to make sure that our presence benefits those around us,” said Kevin S. Crutchfield, President and CEO of Compass Minerals. “Active engagement with the communities where our employees live and work is one way we can make an impact. Aiding in the fight against hunger through this partnership with the Big 12 and the Harvesters is an honor for Compass Minerals.”
The 2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship will be held at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, March 8-11. The Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship will be held at City Hall March 9-12.
“This is a wonderful event and we are proud to be a part of it,” said Stephen Davis, president and CEO of Harvesters. “The need for food assistance remains higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Rising food prices and economic pressures are still bringing many families, children and the elderly into our network of pantries, community kitchens and first-time mobile food distributions. We thank the Big 12 Conference and Compass Minerals for allowing us to benefit from the Big 12 Basketball Food Drive in order to fill this need in our community.”
In addition to the virtual food drive, fans are also encouraged to support Harvesters when registering for the Big 12 Run. One dollar for each participant will be donated to the food drive and fans will have the opportunity to donate additional money to enter the raffle.
The relationship with Compass Minerals is managed by Big 12 Sports Properties on behalf of the Conference. Big 12 Sports Properties is the LEARFIELD dedicated team representing the Conference as the sponsorship rights holder.
Compass Mineral InformationCompass Minerals (NYSE: CMP) is a leading global supplier of essential minerals focused on providing them safely where and when it matters to help solve nature’s challenges for customers and communities. The company’s salt products help keep roadways safe during the winter and are used in numerous other consumer, industrial, chemical and agricultural applications. Its plant nutrition products help improve crop quality and yield, while supporting sustainable agriculture. Additionally, the company is pursuing the development of a sustainable lithium brine resource to support the North American battery market and is a minority owner of Fortress North America, a next-generation fire-retardant company. Compass Minerals operates 12 manufacturing and packaging facilities with nearly 2,000 employees in the US, Canada and the UK Visit compassminerals.com for more information about the company and its products.
About the Harvesters: The Community Food NetworkHarvesters is a regional food bank serving an area of 26 counties in northwestern Missouri and northeastern Kansas. Harvesters supplies food and related household products to more than 760 non-profit agencies including food pantries, community kitchens, shelters and others. Pantry’s partners in the Harvesters network provide food assistance to as many as 226,000 different people each month. Harvesters, founded in 1979, is a certified member of Feeding America, a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks, serving all 50 states. For more information, visit harvesters.org.
Information about the Big 12 conferenceThe Big 12 Conference currently consists of 10 universities: Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech and West Virginia. On July 1, 2023, the conference will add BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston. The Big 12 is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics conference comprising five states with more than 40 million people within its geographic footprint. In its 27th year, the Conference produced over 780 Academic All-America selections and captured national championship team titles in 20 of its 23 sponsored sports. Its student-athletes and teams have combined for 718 individual NCAA titles and 78 team national championships. Nearly 5,000 student-athletes from across the United States and around the world compete under the Big 12 banner each year. For more information, visit Big12Sports.com and follow the conference on Facebook (Facebook.com/Big12), Twitter (@Big12Conference), Instagram (Instagram.com/big12conference/) and YouTube (YouTube.com/Big12Conference).
