News: True Spirit of Competition and Community - Upper Loudoun Youth Football Teams Stock Local Food Pantry

Purcellville (Sept. 30, 2010) - There is winning on the field and then there is winning off the field. The Upper Loudoun Youth Footbal League gives us a great example of a spirit of competition that benefits the community as teams in the league have raced each other to donate the most food to local food pantry, the Tree of Life.

A harsh economy left the food pantry's shelves nearly empty after the summer but the players and parents in the football league have already given almost 10,000 pounds of food -- reaching their season goal of giving in just three weeks. And they aren't stopping now.


"Our partnership with Tree of Life is one that embodies the spirit of giving back – as our organization is a non-profit – meaning everything we do as a league benefits our players and the community," wrote league board member Derek Irelan on the league's website. "By leveraging our families we have been able to make an incredible appeal to our members to help us to give to a cause that is not a national or regional charity – but one that sits in our very own neighborhoods."

Continued Irelan on behalf of the board: "Tough economic times are in the newspaper and nightly news all the time ... but you never realize how it feels until you see those times hit family and friends who live on your street."

Teams are recognized each week for giving the most and one team has already broken the 1,000-pound mark by themselves.

"Our contest to help fill the food bank located right HERE in Purcellville has proven to not only be successful, but has brought the spirit of competition out of everyone – to help our very own community," wrote Irelan. "What a great feeling it is to see shelves in the food bank become filled after a summer which saw them emptied out due the high need. We are blessed as an organization to have so many wonderful families who not only want to give, but go out of their way to give and ask ... "what more can we do"?

For more information, visit the league's website.