By John Rohlf, The Message assistant editor
A total of $3,300 was collected for the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry during the Friday Knights Hunger Bowl clash between Mater Dei and Reitz Memorial High Schools.
Mark Hackert, co-chair for the ninth annual Friday Knights Hunger Bowl, confirmed they collected $3,300 at the gate and at halftime during Friday night’s game at Enlow Field in Evansville. As of Sept. 14, just under $33,000 had been raised for the food pantry through this initiative. Every donation benefits the area St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry.
St. Vincent de Paul Evansville Executive Director Ashley Newell said the funds raised from the Hunger Bowl initiative “is absolutely crucial for us.”
“We are feeding over 100 families a day,” Newell said. “That’s not individuals, that’s families with an average family size of four people per household. And we provide four days of food and hygiene products per person per household every 30 days. So this is quite literally make or break for us in being able to continue to serve the community and to serve the four counties that we operate in.”
Over the first eight years of the Hunger Bowl, over $120,000 was raised through the area Catholic grade schools and high schools; the 10 area Knights of Columbus councils; and donations at the football game and from the community. Each school and Knights of Columbus council determines how they raise funds.
About nine years ago, Friday Knights Hunger Bowl Co-Chair John Sandwell brought the idea to his Knights of Columbus council after reading about a similar initiative done at an all Catholic schools rivalry game in Florida. He said after receiving the support of his council, other Knights of Columbus councils and Mater Dei and Reitz Memorial High Schools, they set a goal of $3,000 for the first year. He noted nine years later, donations exceeded $30,000.
“It’s fun,” Sandwell said. “We’re at a football game having fun. And I know he (Hackert) does the same thing, you see somebody come through that you know, and you start busting their chops and say, ‘don’t put the wallet away. Come on, let’s go.’ It’s a win-win, win-win I think.”
Sandwell noted the schools also get involved with collecting money at the game, with cheerleaders from both Mater Dei and Reitz Memorial collecting donations in the stands during halftime.
“They feel a part of it and they’re glad to do it,” Sandwell said.
Newell said the funds raised this year are especially needed. They lost a major supplier who was providing the food pantry $120,000 through in-kind grocery donations. The food pantry was impacted by the Avian flu, leading to shell egg donations being down until 2026, she said.
Hackert said they are “very humbled” by everyone’s support of this cause. He also stressed the importance of needing to listen to new ideas, noting Sandwell’s idea could have easily been shot down by his council or by the high schools.
“This is at the core of our Catholic faith,” Hackert said. “Catholic men were called by Christ to be outward signs of what we believe. We happen to have the faith, but it’s through our works that we’re called to do. It calls us very directly to feed the poor. And it’s such a natural fit for everybody to help out St. Vincent de Paul and be able to provide that for them.”
Reitz Memorial 28, Mater Dei 21 (OT)
Reitz Memorial recovered an onside kick and scored two touchdowns in the final 56 seconds of regulation to earn a 28-21 comeback win in overtime at the Friday Knight Hunger Bowl Sept. 12.
Reitz Memorial (4-0) overcame a 21-7 deficit late in the fourth quarter to earn a home win over Mater Dei (2-2) in a battle of the two Evansville diocesan high schools.
Quarterback Luke Brown threw a pair of touchdown passes in the final minute. Maxx Anslinger hauled in a shovel pass and scored to put Reitz Memorial within one score. After the Tigers secured an onside kick, they drove down the field and scored with eight seconds remaining on Luke Dockery’s second touchdown reception of the game.
In overtime, Dylen Kendrick scored on a 10-yard rushing touchdown on the first play of overtime. On the Wildcats’ possession, the Memorial defense stopped Caden Thacker on 4th and goal from the 1-yard line.
After going into halftime 7-7, Mater Dei scored once in each the third and fourth quarters to take a late 21-7 lead in regulation. Quarterback Tate Mallory scored on a pair of 1-yard rushing touchdowns in the second half to give the Wildcats the two-score lead.
Reitz Memorial opened the scoring in the game on Brown’s first touchdown pass to Dockery. Mater Dei answered late in the half on Caden Thacker’s 4-yard touchdown run.
Reitz Memorial was scheduled to host Evansville Harrison Sept. 19. Mater Dei hosted Jasper.