JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Before taking the field, the teams competing in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl came together for something bigger than football: ensuring children in North Florida have access to food on the weekends.

Players, coaches, staff, and community partners from the participating teams joined Blessings in a Backpack for a food packing event benefiting the organization’s North Florida programs. The effort continues an eight-year partnership between the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl and Blessings in a Backpack, a nonprofit organization that works year-round to ensure children don’t go hungry when school is out.

This year alone, the partnership resulted in 1,600 food bags packed for children who rely on weekend nutrition support. More than 1,100 bags were packed earlier in the week, with additional packing events scheduled as teams arrived in Jacksonville for the bowl game.

Student-athletes from the University of Virginia Cavaliers and the University of Missouri Tigers worked side by side, assembling bags filled with kid-approved food and adding handwritten notes of encouragement for the children who would receive them.

Those personal touches are especially meaningful, reminding kids that people they may never meet are cheering them on and believe in their potential.

The packing event served as a reminder that sports can do more than entertain. They can bring people together around a shared purpose and create real impact in local communities.

Two teams. One mission. Children who will have food because people have chosen to serve. That’s community. That’s leadership. And that’s what making a difference looks like.