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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – As Thanksgiving grows near, the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics has planned the inaugural Good Works Day at Memorial Stadium when the Fighting Illini football team hosts Iowa on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 2:30 p.m. The day will provide Illinois fans the chance to give back to the community while also recognizing groups and individuals who are doing "Good Works" to help those in need.
Prior to the game, the Eastern Illinois Food Bank will hold a food drive, accepting non-perishable items at drop off locations on Kirby Ave. (between First and Fourth Streets) and in Grange Grove. The Eastern Illinois Food Bank serves 18 counties and 167 charitable agencies including food pantries, soup kitchens and homeless shelters. In the Eastern Illinois community, one out of seven individuals struggle with hunger and one in every three individuals is a child. Champaign County's poverty rate is 18.9 percent, which is higher than Cook County in Chicago.
When gates open, the Salvation Army will be ringing bells in their annual Red Kettle Campaign on both the East and West sides of Memorial Stadium. For the past 127 years, the Salvation Army has been ringing bells to provide much needed support to residents of Champaign County where it serves more than 54,000 concentrating on homelessness, food insecurity, and more.
This year, the fourth grade class at Chicago's Learn Charter School – Romano Butler campus has adopted the University of Illinois as part of their college prep curriculum. As a way to bring their learning into perspective, the class is being hosted on campus for two days to see campus and college life in person on Friday, as well as take in the football game on Saturday.
During the game, the Memorial Stadium big screen will feature individuals and organizations that are making a difference in the University of Illinois community.
The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics is providing tickets to organizations who assist and help with youth in underserved communities. Organizations can reach out the Illinois marketing department at arner@illinois.edu.
TICKETS: Tickets are available for Saturday's game for as low as $35 and can be purchased on FightingIllini.com. Groups of 20 or more can take advantage of special group discounts. For more information, contact the Illinois Ticket Office at 217-300-4309.
GRANGE GROVE: Grange Grove will open for tailgating at 7 a.m. and entertainment will begin at 11:30 a.m. with inflatables, Fighting Illini Fan Headquarters, Gameday Spirit, live music, food trucks and the beer tent. Illini Walk is slated for 12:15 p.m. followed by the Marching Illini performance. This week's live band is Zorila, featuring former Marching Illini band members.
