(CBS DETROIT) — The University of Michigan and Oakland University basketball teams gathered at Forgotten Harvest in Oak Park on Saturday to pack more apples for the food insecure.
“These apples these students are packing today will feed the community. There are more than 550,000 people in Metro Detroit who are food insecure,” said Christopher Ivey, chief marketing officer for Forgotten Harvest.
313 Presents helped bring these two basketball programs together.
“We wanted to create a relevant reason for these two teams to clash, and the Forgotten Harvest is an amazing force that really helps those with food insecurity,” said Howard Handler, president of 313 Presents.
Coaches helped alongside the players on Saturday.
“What I’m proud of is how hard they worked,” said Greg Kampe, Oakland University men’s basketball coach. “It’s easy to sit here and say we’re doing this, but they were really big boxes and they really tried their hardest to get through that.”
And while this game won’t count in the record books, Oakland does have bragging rights today.
“There’s no question that we did that,” Kampe said. “I mean, they’ve got two boxes left and we’re done. We’re going home.’
Saturday served as a teaser of sorts, as the Wolverines will face the Golden Grizzlies on Oct. 20 in a charity exhibition game to benefit Forgotten Harvest. The game will feature many new faces on the sidelines, including Michigan Head Coach Dusty May.
“It will be fun to be in front of our fans in the city of Detroit and it will also be exciting to see our team play together,” May said. “It will be the first time they put on uniforms and have officials and lights on, so we are anticipating that.”
