Rocky Mount, N.C. - The holidays are a time to give thanks and appreciate the blessings in one's life, thus Cans Across the Conference was initiated in 2004. This year, the Battling Bishops collected nearly 2,000 items that were split between the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund and our local Peacemakers Family Center in Rocky Mount.

The USA South Student-Athlete Advisory Committees organized the canned food drive as a community service competition amongst the member institutions in the conference. Each campus SAAC collected cans and other non-perishable items at their school to benefit a local charity. It was up to each institution to decide how they wanted to collect and to which group the donation would go.

Overall, the USA South institutions collected 52,456 items this fall, which is the second-highest total in competition history. Over the 14-year history of the program, USA South members have donated 441,722 items to various organizations. Seven institutions, including N.C. Wesleyan, set new single-year school records for items collected during this year's competition.