In order to become “One Hunger-Free Community, One Pack,” the University of Nevada will team up with the Food Bank of Northern Nevada to raise money and food donations for needy families in the community this holiday season.

Wolf Pack fans will be able to drop off cash and food donations for the Food Bank of Northern Nevada when they pick up their tickets for the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. Ticket pickup will begin Dec. 27-30 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Legacy Hall on campus.

Nevada has also designated its men’s basketball game vs. Hawai’i on Dec. 31 and its women’s basketball game vs. BYU on Jan. 1 as Fight Hunger games, and Wolf Pack fans will be able to make donations to the Food Bank of Northern Nevada at those games as well.

“We are thrilled to partner with our friends at the Food Bank of Northern Nevada,” Nevada Director of Athletics Cary Groth said. “We have long admired the tremendous work that the food bank has done in our community, and we are excited to be going to a great bowl game like the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl that supports a great cause.”

“We are honored and pleased to partner with the Wolf Pack and the Nevada athletics department,” said Cherie Jamason, President and CEO of the Food Bank of Northern Nevada. “In the weeks leading up to the big game, there will be some great ways to get involved with our local efforts like bringing food to events that support the Pack. Cash donations are also vital in our effort to put food and meals on table for those who need them. Every dollar helps the food bank provide about four meals.”

The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl is the only bowl game raising money and awareness about the issue of hunger in the United States. The bowl will celebrate the culmination of Kraft Foods’ HUDDLE TO FIGHT HUNGER program, which is the food company’s largest-ever branded initiative to fight hunger in America. The goal of the program is to donate as many as 20 million meals or more to Feeding America – the nation’s leading hunger relief organization – to help people in need.

“Our football game is more than just a football game. What sets the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl apart from every other bowl game is the fact that we’re the only bowl named after a cause. We’re very proud of that fact,” said Gary Cavalli, Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl co-founder and executive director. “We have a tremendous partner in Kraft Foods. We’re thrilled to be part of a national effort to raise 20 million meals for the needy across the United States.”

As part of the bowl’s commitment to fighting hunger, the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl donates a meal to the needy for every ticket purchased for the game.

On Monday, Cavalli also announced that the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl will donate an additional 15,369 meals to the Food Bank of Northern Nevada, one for every ticket Wolf Pack fans purchased through the Nevada ticket office last week.

“As a gesture of our appreciation for the incredible job that this community has done for us, we want to do something for Northern Nevada,” Cavalli said. “We thank you for your support, and we want to show you that we support this community.”

US Foodservice in Reno has also pledged a donation of $2,000 to the Food Bank of Northern Nevada to kick off the “One Hunger-Free Community, One Pack” campaign.

The Food Bank of Northern Nevada is a regional food distribution and support system serving over 100 partner agencies in Northern Nevada and the Eastern Sierra. The Food Bank of Northern Nevada provides and supports programs including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs and Kids Cafe (dinner program), Kids Cafe Summer Meals program, Food Stamp Outreach and much more. The Food Bank of Northern Nevada is a member of Feeding America ~ The Nation’s Food Bank Network (formerly America's Second Harvest).

“We are really thrilled to bring this opportunity in the national fight against hunger to the local community to help people in Northern Nevada,” Jamason said. “This year, there are a record 153,000 people and more in Northern Nevada who need our help to put food on table, including 70,000 children. That is unbelievable and unconscionable. With one in five children living in poverty in Nevada, we need the support of everybody in this community to make sure that families have the food they need to stay healthy.”

More information about the Food Bank of Northern Nevada is available at fbnn.org.

The Wolf Pack will take on Boston College in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl on Jan. 9 at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Nevada has sold out of its bowl ticket allotment, but tickets for the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl are still available online at the bowl’s website. Fans in Reno can also purchase tickets at the Lawlor Events Center box office, which is a Tickets.com outlet.