Special to The Message
The 8th Annual Friday KNIGHTS Hunger Bowl is 6:30 p.m. CDT Sept. 13 at the Reitz Bowl in Evansville. The game features Mater Dei High School and Reitz Memorial High School.
Funds collected during the game support the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry. The seven previous Hunger Bowls raised more than $90,000 for the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry. This year’s goal is $30,000.
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 and supporter of Reitz Memorial. 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.
From the $3,500 raised during the first year to nearly $30,000 raised in 2023, John Sandwell and Mark Hackert are amazed, but not surprised, by the support from the Catholic community.
A mantra they use: “People can’t do if they don’t know.”
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]). Visit the Facebook page at facebook.com/FridayKnightsHungerBowl.