The University of Georgia football team has officially started its third project of the “Dawgs For Pups” initiative in the form of a coat drive for area children.
After the idea arose from a recent team meeting, the Bulldogs will be participating in a number of “Dawgs For Pups” activities in the Athens area and beyond to help students and others affected by the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest initiative is a coat drive for children in the Athens-Clarke County area. With winter approaching and colder temperatures coming, the Bulldog football team and the rest of the UGA Athletic Association will be working with the local Boys & Girls Club to generate donations of new or gently used coats for children in kindergarten through eighth grade. Donations for the coat drive can be dropped on the main floor (third floor) of the UGAAA’s Butts-Mehre Building (1 Selig Circle, Athens, GA 30602) between 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Bulldogs will be offering 2020 football schedule posters signed by head coach Kirby Smart to anyone who donates a new or gently used coat.
“It’s going to start getting pretty cold out there and a lot of kids don’t have the gear they need to stay warm,” said Bulldog receivers coach Cortez Hankton. “We want to be sure we provide them with coats and support. We want to be sure our Dawgs take care of the ‘Pups’ in our community and that we give what we can.”
“While effects of the pandemic continue to bring challenges to all walks of life, we have been proud of our Bulldog student-athletes and the work they have done to promote these important community initiatives,” said Senior Deputy Athletic Director Josh Brooks. “It’s wonderful to see the work that is being done to make a positive impact in the lives of youth in the Athens community and beyond. We hope their actions present a challenge to others in the community to lend a helping hand as well.”
The first activity helped raise approximately $100,000 to help provide students in Athens-Clarke County with WiFi hotspots (Link for WiFi hotspot donations: http://gado.gs/53q) . The second project was called Food2Kids Snack Drive and it generated more than 27,000 pounds of food donations for area children. Donations can still be dropped at the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia. The food bank’s warehouse address is below and the hours for drop-off are 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.