By Ben Robinson
Staff Reporter
brobinson@thepccourier.com

EASLEY — It’s finally high school football season, and the season will kick off this Friday when Easley hosts Pickens in the eighth annual Sam Wyche Meals on Wheels Food Fight Bowl.

Liberty will also open its season Friday night with a visit from Crescent, while Daniel will host its annual Daniel Day Jamboree before beginning the season next week.

In the first seven years of the Food Fight Bowl, Easley holds a 4-3 advantage on the field — winning the last four in a row — but both schools will be under the tutelage of new head coaches this season. Pickens’ John Boggs and Easley’s John Windham will be squaring off in the rivalry matchup in their first games at the helms of their respective schools.

Though only two teams will be represented on the field Friday night — with the winner earning the coveted Food Fight Bowl trophy, made from the top of the trophy Wyche received in 1988 as NFL Coach of The Year — all four Pickens county high schools will have a chance to participate in the Ultimate Food Fight competition, collecting food donations for Pickens County Meals on Wheels.

The fundraising deadline for the competition will be 4 p.m. on Oct. 29, with the the winning school being presented with the Ultimate Food Fight trophy at the team’s next home game.

In 2008, the Meals on Wheels Food Fight Bowl was designed to harness the rivalry between Easley and Pickens high schools into a signature fundraising event for Pickens County Meals on Wheels.
Since its inception, the event has grown to be the largest fundraising event for Pickens County Meals on Wheels, having raised a total of $188,918, the equivalent of 37,784 meals.

The competition was expanded last year to include all four Pickens County high schools.

Proud to support the students’ efforts for a fourth straight year, Save-A-Lot of Pickens will donate $5,000 in support of the Food Fight Bowl. Each school has been credited with $1,250 toward its fundraising goal.

According to Meals on Wheels executive director Meta Bowers, this year’s fundraising goal is $20,000, the equivalent of 4,000 meals.
“We have extended the fundraising deadline this year,” Bowers said. “The students are always so creative and do a tremendous job. All the money raised will remain in Pickens County and be used to feed and care for our seniors who receive home-delivered meals or participate at the McKissick Center for Senior Wellness.”

Dwayne Goodwin, president of Goodwin Holdings Group, which owns Save-A-Lot of Pickens, said Meals on Wheels and its team of volunteers “play a critical role in feeding and caring for the elderly and disabled in Pickens County.”

“Volunteers and donations are always needed,” he said. “I am happy to support the important work Meals on Wheels does in our community every day.”

To make a donation, visit pcmow.org or mail a check to Pickens County Meals on Wheels P.O. Box 184, Easley, SC 29641. Call Bowers at (864) 855-3770 ext. 303 or email meta@pcmow.org with any questions.

Pickens County Meals on Wheels is exclusively focused on addressing the needs of seniors in Pickens County. Its goal is to provide a continuum of care for active, aging and homebound seniors throughout Pickens County. By connecting individuals to the services they need, when they need it, they are able to help hundreds of seniors maintain their nutritional health, independence and quality of life each year.