Holy Cross Student Athletes Host Sixth Annual Date Auction

The College of the Holy Cross’ Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) hosted its 2014 Date Auction to raise funds for the local nonprofit, St. John’s Food Pantry, earlier this month. The auction raised more than $3,000 for St. John’s Food Pantry for the Poor Program. The campus community was invited to attend the event and place a bid on one of the 25 student athletes who was auctioned off.  The highest bidder won the date. Lauren Bellerose ’14, a member of  women’s track and field team, had the highest bid of $300. Men’s head baseball coach, Greg Dicenzo, hosted the auction, while students were happy to see that new athletic director, Nathan Pine, was a part of the attending crowd.

Holy Cross’ SAAC provides a voice within the athletic department and to the overall campus. One goal for the SAAC is to foster community service and encourage active involvement of student-athletes in community service projects on campus and in the Worcester community. The Date Auction offers one event that allows the Holy Cross athletic community to come together and thank the Worcester community for its support.

“By learning about the recent renovations to the St. John's Food Pantry that took place in 2013, we thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to help expand the Food for the Poor Program. With the increased number of poor and homeless men, women, and children of Worcester,” explained Gina Righini, co-chair of the SAAC Date Auction.

St. John’s Food for the Poor Program is run by St. John’s Church in Worcester as a way to provide hot meals and services to the city’s poor and homeless men, women, and children. The program’s goal is to serve and satisfy approximately 250 people per day. However, even with the pantry’s recent 2013 renovations, there is always a shortage of food due to funding. The funds from the date auction will help the program reach its daily goal.

The local restaurants who donated to the event include: 2 Ovens, 7 Nana, b Good, Boulevard Diner, Brew City, Buca di Beppo, Coral Seafood, Corner Grille, EVO, Flying Rhino, Lakeside Grill, The Mill, Nuovo, O'Connors, Olive Garden, Smokestack BBQ, Sweet, Volturno.