Special to The Message
The 8th Annual Friday Knights Hunger Bowl raised $26,000 for the St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry. The Sept. 13 game, featuring Reitz Memorial High School and Mater Dei High School, took place at the Reitz Bowl in Evansville. Reitz Memorial won the game 41-13.
Since the inaugural Hunger Bowl in 2017, which raised $3,151.36, fundraising totals have grown to $26,000 in 2024. The eight-year total is more than $120,000, according to organizers.
Students at Mater Dei and Reitz Memorial high schools, students at Evansville-area Catholic elementary schools, area Knights of Columbus Councils and game attendees collected funds and made donations. Special thanks to the cheerleaders of both teams for assisting with the halftime collections. Each year, the Hunger Bowl committee has worked to involve more people, more Knights of Columbus councils, more schools and more parishes to grow the amount of support for the St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank.
Organizers said Benedictine Sister Donna Marie Herr, the food pantry coordinator, always appreciates all the monies from Reitz Memorial and Mater Dei supporters.
Eight years ago, Knight John Sandwell of Auxillio Council 16454 (St. Philip Parish, Posey County, and Evansville’s Corpus Christi Parish) had an idea after reading an article about a similar football game in Florida. So, he reached out to Brother Knight Mark Hackert of St. Benedict Cathedral Parish Knights of Columbus Council 7544. The conversation turned to the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, coordinated by Benedictine Sister Donna Marie Herr, who had previously taught at Mater Dei. From this, the Friday Knights Hunger Bowl featuring the annual football game between the two Evansville Catholic high schools was born.
John and Mark reached out to 10 K of C councils and over 1,000 Knights in the Evansville area to work on the project and promote the K of C mission. Local Catholic schools and parishes, as well as foundations, trusts and businesses, also work to help raise funds for the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry.
Sandwell and Hackert have served as Friday Knights Hunger Bowl co-chairs since its inception. Joining them on the committee this year were Joe Cook, executive director of the Evansville District of St. Vincent de Paul; Nick Hermann, K of C Council 7544; Martin Stagg, K of C Council 7544, Julie Folz, St. Vincent de Paul volunteer; and Laila Shu of Regent Promotions in Evansville.
Area K of C councils participating this year include Council 565 of Evansville’s west side, the original Evansville-area council; Council 14673 of Good Shepherd Parish, Evansville; Council 7544 of St. Benedict Cathedral Parish, Evansville; Council 8746 of St. John the Baptist Parish, Newburgh; Council 12541 of Holy Redeemer Parish, Evansville; Council 14659 of St. John the Evangelist Parish, Daylight; Auxilio Council 16454 of St. Philip Parish, Posey County, and Corpus Christi Parish, Evansville; and Council 15092, Annunciation Parish, Evansville.
For more information on the Knights of Columbus and the Hunger Bowl, contact Mark Hackert (812-319- 6403 or email [email protected]) or John Sandwell (812-250-1923 or email [email protected]).