The University of Texas and University of Oklahoma Red River Showdown moves to new turf this month: a food fight.
Throughout September, the schools are going head-to-head in the Red River Food Fight, a collaboration between UT and OU’s food pantries to address food insecurity among students. The food fight consists of students and community members donating non-perishable food items to their respective food pantries in a battle to see which campus can donate the most. The last time the universities teamed up for this initiative was spring 2021.
The OU Food Pantry initiated the competition by contacting the UT Outpost and Student Government asking if they wanted to work together on a food drive, capitalizing on the classic rivalry between the universities. Student Government President Helen Getachew and Vice President William Ramirez said they knew they wanted to get involved.
“We have always loved the idea of different ways we can give back and help communities and I feel like a food drive is one of the biggest ones,” Getachew said.
Getachew said the food drive presents an opportunity to highlight the full scope of the UT Outpost and the work they do. The Outpost, a free resource for students, provides food items and professional clothing to all students who need them.
“We wanted to … use that pride and Texas spirit that a lot of students have to gain more awareness about UT Outpost because I feel like a lot of students can gain that awareness through being a part of this kind of program,” Getachew said.
Valeria Martin, the assistant director for basic needs at the Office of the Dean of Students, said UT Outpost collaborates with campus organizations, departments and external partners to be a student and community-oriented resource. She said working with OU presents an exciting opportunity to continue that mission.
“I think there’s a lot of fun that comes with a campus rivalry, of course, it really energizes the community,” Martin said. “I think that also plays into the excitement that we have around being part of this initiative.”
According to the UT Outpost website, 37.7% of students experience some form of food insecurity. Getachew and Ramirez said they plan to expand initiatives like the Red River Food Fight by reviving the Food Insecurity Action Agency, implemented by the previous SG administration, to continue addressing food insecurity.
Students can drop off food items at the UT Outpost and several other locations around campus, including Gregory Gym and the Union, until the end of the month to ensure another Red River victory comes home to Texas.
“We’re hoping that our community can really rally together and work on this event together because ultimately, it’s just going to support our UT students,” Martin said. “Everything that is collected in this donation drive is going back into the hands of our students that may be facing food insecurity or financial hardship and so no matter the outcome, we’re excited about the impact of this.”
