ERIE, Pa. – With the holiday season upon us, Penn State Behrend Athletics is making a difference in the local community as well as those communities affected by Hurricane Sandy.

The Behrend softball team collected donations all last week, including toiletries, non-perishable food, cleaning supplies, flashlights, clothing, and batteries to take to Sea Bright, New Jersey this past weekend. Head Coach Stacy Pondo departed on Saturday with a van full of donations and participated in relief efforts on Sunday and Monday. On her journey, Pondo picked up donations from the softball teams at IUP, Medaille, D’Youville, Hilbert, Fredonia and Thiel.

The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams are also looking for ways to give back. Approximately 25 members of the team will volunteer their time at the Second Harvest Food Bank on Monday. The Lions will be unloading boxes and stocking shelves in preparation for Thanksgiving. The teams have a clothing drive and volunteer at the City Mission annually, but this is their first year helping at the food bank.

The Second Harvest Food Bank is the largest nonprofit food distribution organization in northwest Pennsylvania. They solicit and distribute food to 405 partner organizations, which serve 72,600 individuals in 11 counties.