On Monday, Nov. 18, UNH student-athletes, fraternities and sororities and campus clubs came together for a great cause. The University of New Hampshire Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) held its annual Hoops For Hunger 3-on-3 basketball tournament in Lundholm Gymnasium. This year, a total of 12 teams fought for the title of Hoops For Hunger Champion. "Where Is My Super Suit?" won it for the women's bracket and "BCD" took the men's bracket. The event's proceeds are donated to the Cornucopia Food Pantry in Durham to help less fortunate families around the holiday season.
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The Cornucopia Food Pantry has been helping less fortunate families since 1997. They serve around 1,500 customers a year and have served over 6,000 members of the community overall. During the holiday season, the Food Pantry buys Thanksgiving turkeys and they accept canned goods and monetary donations as well.
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Co-President of SAAC and UNH junior football player Nelson Thomas (Plainfield, N.J.), led the organization effort for this year's event. He touched upon the impact that this event has on the UNH students and the campus as a whole and also the success of the event year after year.
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Nelson Thomas
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"I think this event has an extraordinary impact. We have student-athlete teams, Greek life teams, a team from the Whittemore Center and people from the gym. I love doing events like this because it really has the ability to bring the entire campus together."
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Thomas also added, "This has proven to be a staple event. It is proven to be something that people look forward to. We are here doing a good thing, we're here giving back and making an impact as UNH students and members of the Durham community. It's always a success to me."
 Aidan Sullivan (Nashua, N.H.), a sophomore on the men's track and field team and co-vice president of SAAC participated in this year's tournament. "It's great to participate in this event. We are giving back to our community and it's a great way to bring everybody together. It's just a lot of fun."
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Women's Champions: Where's My Super Suit?
 Faith Bonett (Moorestown, N.J.), a sophomore on the women's basketball team was a referee.
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"It's a lot of fun. It's nice to ref our fellow student-athletes and knowing that it's going to a good cause is really great."
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Junior on the women's soccer team, Francesca Picicci (North Massapequa, N.Y.) mentioned that she looks forward to the event every year.
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"The event is a great way to give back and it's a fun way to give back as well. We really enjoy it. We do it every year and I hope we continue to do it." Â
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Hoops For Hunger was again a fantastic success for SAAC. The event has become a tradition and a "staple" during the holiday season here at UNH. Â
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Men's Champions: BCD
PHOTO GALLERY
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To learn more about Wildcats in the Community, go to the Wildcats in the Community page presented by Kennebunk Savings.
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