College World Series appearance benefits Trojan Pantry through Jell-O Shot Challenge at Omaha establishment

Troy University’s first appearance in the College World Series continues to pay dividends for students, this time in the form of a $6,475 donation to the Trojan Pantry from Rocco’s Pizza & Cantina in Omaha, Nebraska.

Each year, Rocco’s hosts the College World Series Jell-O Shot Challenge, a fan-driven competition that has become a tradition during the tournament. Fans purchase Jell-O shots to support their teams, with proceeds benefiting food pantries in each participating school’s hometown and Omaha’s Food Bank for the Heartland.

Trojan mascot T-Roy with grocery bags — Trojan Pantry is meeting food insecurity challenges for TROY students.

TROY fans purchased about 6,500 Jell-O shots during the tournament. While West Virginia claimed the top spot in this year’s challenge, every participating school received a donation. Rocco’s donates $1 from each shot to the school’s hometown food pantry and 50 cents per shot to Omaha’s Food Bank for the Heartland.

“We saw some of the fans sharing the challenge on social media, but we didn’t know the Trojan Pantry would be a beneficiary,” said Lauren Cole, executive director of TROY’s John W. Schmidt Center for Student Success, which operates the pantry.

Cole said she had no idea how much the donation would total.

The funds will be used to purchase food through the Heart of Alabama Food Bank, a partner of the Trojan Pantry, as well as local partners Publix and Starbucks.

“We surpassed our 5,000th visit to the pantry this spring, so students are clearly using this resource,” Cole said. “We work hard to remove the stigma associated with seeking help because college is expensive for everyone. Sometimes students simply run out of meal swipes — we serve students from all walks of life.”

According to the Heart of Alabama Food Bank, the donation will allow the pantry to purchase approximately 1,165 pounds of staple, non-perishable food to help meet the needs of students experiencing food insecurity. The cost increases for meat items, and fresh produce is free.

Faculty and staff can also make contributions via payroll deduction through the “Power of Five” campaign. For more information, contact the JWS Center at 334-670-3221.