Sports Radio Service


		Illini win on scoreboard; good causes win overall By George Devine, Sr. December 31, 2011

	When the final score of 20-14, in favor of Illinois over UCLA, was recorded in San Francisco, the real winners were the advocates of two concerns that have been important in American society over the years. The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, in its second season, is the only one of 35 postseason bowl games to promote and fund a social cause. Kraft Foods has announced it will donate 25,554,558 meals (or the monetary equivalent thereof) to Feeding America, the culmination of Kraft’s Huddle to Fight Hunger campaign. This goal has been achieved through a multi-faceted game plan. Contributing to the win were more than sixty retail partners who activated the program nationwide, youth football teams who rallied support in their hometowns and a Facebook community where consumers could easily join the cause. Fans can still impact the final donation to feeding America via the Kraft Fight Hunger Facebook page. “At Kraft Foods, we recognize that 1 in 6 of our neighbors are affected by hunger and live in food insecure households. That’s why the game played on the field…is about so much more than football,” said Stephen Chriss, Senior Director, Consumer Engagement and Marketing Partnerships, Kraft Foods. “It’s about raising awareness around a problem that people in our hometowns are facing, and we are proud to have reached this year’s donation goal thanks to supporters around the country that have joined us in making a difference.” Joining the “Huddle” and supporting the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl are several of Kraft Foods’ biggest brands including Planters nuts, Oreo cookies, Ritz crackers, Capri Sun beverages, Oscar Mayer meats, Maxwell House coffee, Kraft Real Mayo mayonnaise, Miracle Whip dressing, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and Kraft cheese. Prior to the New Year’s Eve game, players and coaches from both UCLA and Illinois served meals to large numbers at St. Anthony’s Dining Room and Glide Memorial Methodist Church in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. Emphasizing another social concern, the Bowl took the opportunity to honor the 1951 football team from the University of San Francisco. At halftime, the “undefeated, untied and uninvited” Dons were remembered for their final season, sixty years ago, when they refused to play in a postseason bowl game that would have required their participation in a racially segregated event. Representing the historic team were veterans including Bob St. Clair and Bill Henneberry. The brief ceremony was a moving reminder of the commitment USF made to social justice, and the example that has been remembered for six decades of American history. The Dons played at Kezar Stadium, along with other Bay Area independents Santa Clara and St. Mary’s. The only other team to play regular season games in San Francisco since then was California, during the 2011 season while Memorial Stadium in Berkeley was being renovated. The Bears utilized AT&T Park, which has been the site of the annual bowl game for the past decade. The point man in promoting these causes through football is Gary Cavalli, the founder and only executive director in the ten-year history of postseason bowl football in San Francisco. In 2010 Cavalli negotiated the current title sponsorship agreement with Kraft Foods and conference/team affiliations for the 2010-13 bowl cycle.