LSU baseball fans in Omaha are doing their part to help Louisiana food banks raise money amid funding shortages caused by United States Department of Agriculture cuts. Fans who are taking part in the Rocco's Jello Shot Challenge have already raised thousands of dollars to help a Baton Rouge-area food bank.
"Already, y'all have raised $13,552 for your food bank," Rocco's Pizza & Cantina manager Pat McEvoy said on Monday morning, minutes before the fourth day of his bar's fundraiser began.
McEvoy says he and his bar know the struggle food banks across the United States are facing amid the USDA cuts. That's why, McEvoy says, he's happy to see LSU fans return to Omaha and take part in the establishment's jello shot challenge.
"This year is a tough year for the food banks," McEvoy said. "A dollar for every team goes to that on-campus food bank. They send a random check (to the food bank) like a week or two after the series. They don't let them know it's coming."
McEvoy says the jello shot challenge is one of the highlights of the year for his establishment because they and the baseball fans who visit are able to give back to their communities one jello shot at a time.
"The charitable aspect is what really drives it. It's what makes people come back for more and more and more," McEvoy said. "For some of these people, it's their first jello shot in 30, 40, or 50 years, but they're going to do one because they want to be part of the tradition, but they know it goes back to the food banks, so they're taking one for the team to give back to the food banks."
Meanwhile, 50 cents from every Jello shot goes to food banks in the Omaha area. Already, fans from LSU and the other participating College World Series schools have raised more than $17,000 for those food banks.
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