The Aurora University Athletic Department and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) participated in the 11th annual "Cans Across the Conference" sponsored by the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) SAAC.

This year they expanded the food drive throughout the entire campus in hopes to collect more items. Senior men's lacrosse student-athlete and AU SAAC secretary Dustin Rhodes discussed the efforts and competition that was generated during the drive this year with the proceeds going to Libby's Place in the Wackerlin Center for Faith and Action.
 
"The yearly Cans Across the Conference drive is something we as student-athletes have fun with as it becomes a competition among teams to see who can collect the most goods and donations. This years collection going to Libby's Place and helping our fellow student's on campus made it more meaningful," said Rhodes.
 
When the drive concluded on December 5, AU donated 1,545 collected items to Libby's Place. 
 
"We have experienced a significant increase in the number of AU students using Libby's Place this year. In fact, this semester we have had roughly 600 student visits, which is the same amount of students we had visiting during all of last year," said Kris Johnson, AU Director of Student Leadership. "The collaborative contributions from students, faculty, and staff for the Cans Across the Conference drive has made a tremendous impact. They have not only helped feed our students physically, but have also helped to feed their souls with hope knowing that other people care about them."
 
As part of the larger effort by the NACC SAAC, the conference as a whole raised 43,738 items that have been donated to local charities throughout the conference. The Spartans finished with the fifth most goods raised among the 12 NACC schools and the NACC office.
 
For a complete list of the final collections in the NACC – click here.