H-D-CAL wrestlers host annual Take Down Hunger food drive and scrimmage

Published by editor on Wed, 12/02/2020 - 9:08am

Take Down Hunger organizer and H-D-CAL wrestling booster volunteer Eric Barkema, left, helps Franklin County Food Pantry volunteer Dick Paulsen unload bags of food donated through the wrestling team’s annual Take Down Hunger food drive last Wednesday. (Greg Forbes)

By:

Greg Forbes

Publisher

Amid the uncertainty of athletic seasons at Hampton-Dumont High School as the COVID-19 pandemic continues remains the athletes’ understanding of the importance of community support.

Despite a modified wrestling season and limits on crowd sizes, the Hampton-Dumont-CAL wrestlers once again conducted its Take Down Hunger food drive. Each year before Thanksgiving, the wrestling team hosts an intrasquad scrimmage in which spectators are asked to bring canned food items. The food is then donated to the Franklin County Food Bank in Hampton.

This year, the wrestlers once again collected food but needed to think outside the box in order to make up for the lack of spectators allowed at athletic events. The community responded by donating bags and boxes of food outside of the event. The result were two shopping carts full of food, similar to past years’ efforts.

“The families brought stuff but I’ve had a bunch of people just bring stuff to BSA, because it’s that time of year,” said Eric Barkema, past chairman of the wrestling booster club and current volunteer. “With COVID, it makes it even more important because people can’t get out.”

Wrestler Carl Barkema said he was pleased that the wrestling team could once again host Take Down Hunger. The scrimmage itself is valuable for the teammates but the cause behind the exhibition is what makes the evening special for the participants.

“It’s a different aspect wrestling live versus in the wrestling room, so when I’m wrestling these guys and have the crowd in front of me, it just changes it,” he said.

“The way we can do this and still benefit the community is a great thing.”

The wrestlers’ contributions came at a needed time for the food pantry. Dick Pualsen, volunteer at the food bank, said the last two months have been among the busiest he can remember.

“We have a lot of people that could not get along without it (food bank) and a lot of people are on the verge of needing it, so this is a good way to help,” he said.